MI6 - British intelligence

Foreign intelligence has always been, is and will be the force that ensures the stability of any state. Of course, the methods of such units are significantly different from those used by law enforcement agencies of states, but it is thanks to foreign intelligence that any country can anticipate an upcoming threat and warn it.

Today, the most powerful and capable intelligence services are the CIA (USA), the FSB (RF) and MI6 (Great Britain).

As for the latter, almost nobody knew about its existence until the end of the 20th century, when the British authorities officially recognized this service. Until then, a variety of rumors were circulating about MI6. Today, the veil of mystery is gradually dissipated. This gives us the opportunity to find out what MI6 really is (intelligence).

History of foundation

British intelligence MI-6 was established in 1909. At that distant stage the service was formed in the form of a special bureau by joint forces of the Admiralty (the high command of the naval forces) and the Military Ministry. As we understand, at this stage the bureau's tasks were rather blurred. Only a couple of years later it began to specialize in foreign intelligence and counterintelligence. Already in 1914, this specialization was fully entrenched in the bureau. The main impetus to the creation of such a reconnaissance body was the growing power of the German Empire. The creation of a mobile network of spies would allow us to constantly receive information about the state of the German army.

MI-6 during the First World War

There are many legends about how MI6 (intelligence) operated during the First World War. Most of the materials of this period are classified, which makes it impossible to talk about the events of a hundred years ago with certainty. Nevertheless, it is reliably known that the British intelligence MI6, or rather its employees, actively worked on the territory of Russia, the German Empire and other European countries.

The Second World War

Much more information is available on how the British intelligence service MI-6 operated during the Second World War. First of all, we need to recall the famous Office of Special Operations, which was created by Winston Churchill and submitted personally to him. Management was formed on the basis of a special sabotage section of the intelligence service. It engaged in sabotage, and also organized sabotage in the enemy's deep rear and in the occupied territories. Today, a large number of OSS operations are known in countries such as France, Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Yugoslavia, Germany, Norway and the USSR. As for the latter, there is very little known about operations on the territory of this state, although the office of the USO was at the time of the war in Moscow. He was led by George Hill, who worked with the Communists before the Second World War.

MI6 today

To date, MI6 is an intelligence service that is the most effective and one of the most secret intelligence organizations in the world. Employees of the service work undercover in many terrorist organizations that exist at the moment. The greater secrecy is due to the fact that many foreign citizens will no longer cooperate with MI6 if they are not sure of the secrecy of their activities. Thus, even today little is known about the operations of this department, in contrast to the CIA and the FSB of Russia. For greater secrecy, the service is included in the structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is headed by MI-6 director, who is deputy minister.

Nevertheless, the service is subject to the Prime Minister, and already direct coordination of its activities is through the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Abroad, the MI-6 has about 87 well-known residences and headquarters in London, located at the address: Alberta Embankment, house 85. In the novels of the famous writer Fleming about James Bond (agent MI6), the "book" headquarters Was in Regent Park. In fact, the intelligence service there was never located.

Structure of the Office

MI-6 is a structural agency consisting of five main directories, namely:

1. Directory of administrative and personnel support. In fact, this element is responsible for the selection of new personnel for the service of the crown, and also deals with other administrative and management issues.

2. Directory of intelligence information. This is the analytical department, in which all information received in MI6 is filtered, and also reports and other necessary documentation are prepared.

3. The directory of inspectors consists of several regional operational divisions of British intelligence. This directory is one of the most mobile in MI6.

4. Directory of external counterintelligence and security. The department is engaged in the development of foreign intelligence services, and also ensures the security of the activities of its agents.

5. The most classified department is the special intelligence directory. Officially, it provides MI6 agents with innovations in the world of espionage, although there are many rumors about the special foreign directing activity of the directory.

In addition to the listed structural elements of the MI6, British intelligence has a department of advisers on matters relating to international relations. The number of MI6 personnel is not known to this day, since this information is a state secret. It should be noted that MI6 (intelligence, whose photo structure is presented in the article), never publishes data on its activities in the media.

Who is recruited into the British intelligence service?

The Intelligence Service of Great Britain MI-6 is the most prestigious agency. It actively involves people from aristocratic families, military of various arms, graduates of Cambridge and Oxford universities, SAS soldiers, police officers, as well as the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It should be borne in mind that MI6 is primarily a spy organization, not military intelligence. Therefore, the employees are put forward specific requirements, along with a sufficient level of physical fitness and moral qualities.

Legal basis of activity

Until 1994, MI6 did not have a legal basis in the UK. However, after the adoption of the Law on Intelligence Services, a certain legal regulation appeared. In this normative act, the definition of intelligence activity is clearly spelled out, and the right of special services to carry out activities in the interests of the state is described. In addition, the law removes from the intelligence services responsibility for actions that are considered crimes in the UK, if they were carried out in the interests of the state and its security. The law provides for the establishment of an ad hoc committee under the parliament, which should monitor the activities of the special services, as well as monitor the distribution of budget funds for their maintenance.

Conclusion

So, we examined the structure, legal basis and aspects of the MI6 special intelligence service. Given the high level of secrecy, many interesting data on this department are still not known. Let's hope that over time, the veil of secrecy will open slightly.