Britain's Fifth Columnists

[redcoat]

Papers have just been released by the British government that that show there were hundreds of British pro-Nazi sympathisers willing to help the Nazi cause, and that a Gestapo agent called Jack King ran a network of these people throughout the war and while he discouraged them from espionage they supplied him with information about everything from radar counter measures, to British jet aircraft.
However, Jack King was not a Gestapo agent, but a MI5 mole, and thanks to his efforts the danger these people posed to Britain was neutralised.
Enemy within: The network of Britons who spied for Hitler during Second World War - Home News - UK - The Independent

 

[Capt. Vick]

Cool info. Amazing how they could pull this off and yet still have the Kim Philby affair post war. Guess no one is perfect huh?

 

[redcoat]

Cool info. Amazing how they could pull this off and yet still have the Kim Philby affair post war. Guess no one is perfect huh?

A lot of the best agents against the Nazi's were left wing by nature.

 

[davebender]

And about a million pro-communist sympathizers. Seems to me the British Nazis were small potatoes by comparison.

 

[michaelmaltby]

Univerity Intellectuals loved/love communism ... the great social experiment ..... always a Pol Pot at the end ... but they provide cover.

 

[davebender]

Since the 1990s there have been plenty of books published about Soviet espionage during 1930s and 1940s. Recently I have acquired "Last of the Cold War Spies" by Roland Perry. Michael Straight is the main subject but it provides a wealth of information about the Cambridge spy ring and Soviet espionage in general. Amazing that known communist party members were allowed high level positions within 1940s U.S. and British Governments. More then 20 years were required to eradicate the damage to Britain and USA.

 

[michaelmaltby]

"...More then 20 years were required to eradicate the damage to Britain and USA."

Define eradicate for me, please ...

 

[davebender]

Removal of Soviet agents placed within British and American Governments during 1940s.

 

[silence]

These kind of posts and such make we wonder: who were the best practitioners of espionage: the British or the Soviets?

 

[davebender]

During the 20th Century Russia wins hands down. Okhrana which served Imperial Russia was huge and they pale in comparison to intelligence agencies established by Bolsheviks after they seized power.

 

[michaelmaltby]

"...who were the best practitioners of espionage: the British or the Soviets ..."

I would definitely say the Soviets .... but would note that Western democracies and WW2 Allied status - especially Lend Lease - made it much easier for the Soviets.

Ask yourself - what did Soviet Intelligence ever 'give' the Allies ...? Nothing substantial that I am aware of, whereas, Stalin was 'tipped' by British sources on much good material from Barbarossa to Kursk ...

Having "Communism" for your ideological "cover" is also a great asset in a cynical world where the Media/Intellectuals give failures and atrocities a pass when they occur in the name of the brotherhood of man. Reality and common sense always gets short shrift from the water carriers.

 

[swampyankee]

Cool info. Amazing how they could pull this off and yet still have the Kim Philby affair post war. Guess no one is perfect huh?

Kim Philby, and a lot of his sort, were given a pass because they went to the right schools and were of the right class. The US intelligence services have had similar blind spots with Robert Hanson and Aldrich Ames.

 

[Milosh]

What I learned recently was that the British and Americans keep secret that they had broken Enigma. The Soviets captured many machines and used them unaware that the code had been broken.

 

[buffnut453]

Ask yourself - what did Soviet Intelligence ever 'give' the Allies ...? Nothing substantial that I am aware of, whereas, Stalin was 'tipped' by British sources on much good material from Barbarossa to Kursk ...

I recommend you read "Venona", "The Hidden Hand" and "The Mitrokhin Archive" which might give you a more balanced view of intelligence successes and failures during the Cold War.