Secret history
John Sawers, head of MI6, defended the organisation by saying ‘secrecy is not a dirty word’.
Secret history
John Sawers, head of MI6, defended the organisation by saying ‘secrecy is not a dirty word’. Here are a few things which the organisation does not attempt to keep secret:
— MI6 still does not officially exist. It was once known by that name but is now called the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in government circles.
— There were once 17 ‘MIs’. The original MI6 dealt with legal and financial affairs.
It spent much of the first world war housed in a single flat in Whitehall Court.
— MI6 and the other secret services grew out of the Secret Service Bureau set up in 1909 and which was often abbreviated ‘SS’ on official documents.
— MI6 does not publish accounts, but the intelligence services cost a total of £1.36
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