MI5 Publishes Director-Generals Photographs
The spies are coming out of the cold, or at least emerging from the shadows. This weekend MI5 has published for the first time photographs of the 15 director-generals who have led Britain’s domestic intelligence service.
From its foundation early last century to fight the growing threat from Germany, the identity of the head of the security service was a secret.
The decision to show images of previous MI5 chiefs marks the latest shift to present a much more open image of the security services that has seen much of its traditional secrecy eroded over the past decade.
Between 1909, when the security service was founded, and 1993, the Prime Minister appointed the director-generals in secret and their names and roles were not even disclosed to the general public.
In fact, it was not until the end of the 1980s that the government admitted the service’s existence. MI5 has recruited openly through newspaper advertisements since 1997 and has had an internet website since 2000.
Source: Guardian Unlimited.
There are currently no comments on this thread.