Latest news with #GuyBurgess
Asharq Al-Awsat
02-04-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Secrets, Spy Tools and a 110-Year-Old Lemon Are on Show in an Exhibition from Britain's MI5
A desiccated 110-year-old lemon that played a key role in espionage history is one of the star attractions of a London exhibition drawn from the files of MI5, Britain's domestic intelligence agency. Compact spy cameras, microdots in a talcum powder tin and a briefcase abandoned by fleeing Soviet spy Guy Burgess are also part of the show at Britain's National Archives, which charts the history of a secretive agency that is – slowly – becoming more open. MI5 Director General Ken McCallum told journalists at a preview on Tuesday that the organization's work 'is often different from fiction, whether that fiction is George Smiley or Jackson Lamb' – the brilliant spymaster of John le Carré's novels and the slovenly supervisor of MI5 rejects in Mick Herron's 'Slow Horses' series. Many stories told in the exhibition, however, would not be out of place in a thriller. The lemon, now black and shriveled, helped convict Karl Muller, a German spy in Britain during World War I. It was found by police in his bedside table, along with another in his overcoat pocket. Evidence at his secret trial showed their juice had been used to write invisible-ink letters detailing British troop movements. Muller was executed by firing squad at the Tower of London in 1915. In a coda that would not be out of place in 'Slow Horses,' MI5 pretended Muller was still alive and wrote to his German handlers to ask for more money. 'The Germans duly sent more funds and MI5 used the funds to purchase a car,' exhibition curator Mark Dunton said. 'And they christened the car 'The Muller.' 'They then were reprimanded by the Treasury for unauthorized use of expenditure,' he added. The show includes declassified records held by the National Archives and items loaned from the secret museum inside Thames House, MI5's London headquarters. It charts the changing role of an agency that was founded in 1909 as the Secret Service Bureau with an initial staff of two officers. There are records of its World War II successes, when the agency used captured Nazi agents to send disinformation back to Germany, deceiving Adolf Hitler about the location of the looming Allied invasion in 1944. Failures include the years-long betrayal of the upper-crust 'Cambridge Spies,' whose members spilled secrets to the Soviet Union from the heart of the UK intelligence establishment. Recently declassified MI5 documents on display include the 1963 confession of Cambridge spy Kim Philby, who denied treachery for years before he was exposed and fled to Moscow. The exhibition also reveals changing attitudes, not least to women. The exhibition includes a 1945 report by spymaster Maxwell Knight discussing whether women could make good agents. 'It is frequently alleged that women are less discreet than men,' he noted, but declared that it was not so, saying that in 'hundreds of cases of 'loose talk'' most of the offenders were men. There are admissions of past mistakes. The exhibition notes that MI5 was slow to recognize the threat from fascism in the 1930s, and later spent too much time spying on the small Communist Party of Great Britain. MI5 didn't need to break into the party's offices – it had a key, which is on display. There are only a few items from the past few decades, showing how MI5's focus has shifted from counterespionage to counterterrorism. Displays include a mortar shell fired by the Irish Republican Army at 10 Downing St. in 1991 while Prime Minister John Major was holding a Cabinet meeting. MI5 only began releasing records to the UK's public archives in 1997, generally 50 years after the events have passed. Even now, it controls what to release and what to keep secret. 'It would be a mistake to assume everything is in the exhibition,' said author Ben Macintyre, whose books on the history of intelligence include 'Operation Mincemeat' and 'Agent Zigzag.' But he said it still marks 'a real sea-change in official secrecy.' 'A generation ago, this stuff was totally secret,' he said. 'We weren't even allowed to know that MI5 existed.'
NBC News
02-04-2025
- NBC News
Secrets, espionage tools and a 110-year-old lemon on show in exhibition from Britain's MI5 spy agency
A desiccated 110-year-old lemon that played a key role in espionage history is one of the star attractions of a London exhibition drawn from the files of MI5, Britain's domestic intelligence agency. Compact spy cameras, microdots in a talcum powder tin and a briefcase abandoned by fleeing Soviet spy Guy Burgess are also part of the show at Britain's National Archives, which charts the history of a secretive agency that is — slowly — becoming more open. MI5 Director General Ken McCallum told journalists at a preview on Tuesday that the organization's work 'is often different from fiction, whether that fiction is George Smiley or Jackson Lamb' — the brilliant spymaster of John le Carre's novels and the slovenly supervisor of MI5 rejects in Mick Herron's 'Slow Horses' series. Many stories told in the exhibition, however, would not be out of place in a thriller. The lemon, now black and shriveled, helped convict Karl Muller, a German spy in Britain during World War I. It was found by police in his bedside table, along with another in his overcoat pocket. Evidence at his secret trial showed their juice had been used to write invisible-ink letters detailing British troop movements. Muller was executed by firing squad at the Tower of London in 1915. In a coda that would not be out of place in 'Slow Horses,' MI5 pretended Muller was still alive and wrote to his German handlers to ask for more money. 'The Germans duly sent more funds and MI5 used the funds to purchase a car,' exhibition curator Mark Dunton said. 'And they christened the car 'The Muller.' 'They then were reprimanded by the Treasury for unauthorized use of expenditure,' he added. The show includes declassified records held by the National Archives and items loaned from the secret museum inside Thames House, MI5's London headquarters. It charts the changing role of an agency that was founded in 1909 as the Secret Service Bureau with an initial staff of two officers. There are records of its World War II successes, when the agency used captured Nazi agents to send disinformation back to Germany, deceiving Adolf Hitler about the location of the looming Allied invasion in 1944. Failures include the years-long betrayal of the upper-crust 'Cambridge Spies,' whose members spilled secrets to the Soviet Union from the heart of the U.K. intelligence establishment. Recently declassified MI5 documents on display include the 1963 confession of Cambridge spy Kim Philby, who denied treachery for years before he was exposed and fled to Moscow. The exhibition also reveals changing attitudes, not least to women. The exhibition includes a 1945 report by spymaster Maxwell Knight discussing whether women could make good agents. 'It is frequently alleged that women are less discreet than men,' he noted, but declared that it was not so, saying that in 'hundreds of cases of 'loose talk'' most of the offenders were men. There are admissions of past mistakes. The exhibition notes that MI5 was slow to recognize the threat from fascism in the 1930s, and later spent too much time spying on the small Communist Party of Great Britain. MI5 didn't need to break into the party's offices — it had a key, which is on display. There are only a few items from the past few decades, showing how MI5's focus has shifted from counterespionage to counterterrorism. Displays include a mortar shell fired by the Irish Republican Army at 10 Downing St. in 1991 while Prime Minister John Major was holding a Cabinet meeting. MI5 only began releasing records to the U.K.'s public archives in 1997, generally 50 years after the events have passed. Even now, it controls what to release and what to keep secret. 'It would be a mistake to assume everything is in the exhibition,' said author Ben Macintyre, whose books on the history of intelligence include 'Operation Mincemeat' and 'Agent Zigzag.' But he said it still marks 'a real sea-change in official secrecy.' 'A generation ago, this stuff was totally secret,' he said. 'We weren't even allowed to know that MI5 existed.'
Sky News
02-04-2025
- Sky News
Lemon for invisible ink, spy's briefcase and IRA mortar bomb on display in unique MI5 exhibition
A passport belonging to one of the Cambridge spies, a 110-year-old lemon used for invisible ink and a letter about the Queen's response to news of a Soviet agent in Buckingham Palace are among MI5 artefacts on display in a "groundbreaking" new exhibition. MI5: Official Secrets features declassified documents alongside objects from the agency's private collection - many of which have never been seen before. It marks the first time the intelligence agency has ever collaborated to display its files to the public. A leather briefcase left at London's Reform Club by Cambridge spy Guy Burgess as he fled to Moscow in 1951 is one of the items on display. His British passport is also on show for the first time. Mr Burgess was a British diplomat and Soviet double agent during the Second World War and the early Cold War period. He was a member of the Cambridge Five spy ring and fled to Moscow with fellow traitor Donald Maclean due to fears of being uncovered. Another member of the ring was the late Queen's art adviser, Anthony Blunt. Included in the exhibition is a note confirming that her private secretary had told her about Blunt's treachery. It says the Queen reacted "very calmly and without surprise". None of the Cambridge Five were ever prosecuted. A 110-year-old lemon is another of the objects displayed and was a key piece of evidence used against German spy Karl Muller, who was executed by firing squad at the Tower of London in 1915. Muller used lemon juice as invisible ink to inform on British troop movements. A warm iron was passed over a letter to reveal the secret messages. The lemon was found in his overcoat when he was arrested. Other items loaned include MI5's first camera, a key to the Communist Party of Great Britain's Westminster branch office, and a Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) mortar bomb. Mark Dunton, principal records specialist at the National Archives, said the exhibition is "genuinely groundbreaking". "MI5 used to really operate in secret, for so many years it was just referred to as PO Box 500 - really anonymous. "But once we got into the 1990s, it became more and more of an open organisation - the identity of the director general was revealed in 1992 publicly, and in 1997, MI5 began transferring files to the National Archives."
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Guy Burgess's briefcase among MI5 artefacts on display
A battered leather briefcase left behind by Guy Burgess when he fled to Moscow in 1951 is among 20 objects from MI5's archives to go on display for the first time from Saturday. A joint exhibition with the National Archives tells the story of the first decades of the Security Service through objects and documents. MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum says the exhibition shows "commitment to being open wherever we can". MI5 has sent 6,000 paper records to the Archives since 1997 but chooses what it will release, unlike most parts of government. The exhibition includes a blackened, withered lemon, 110 years old, which formed part of the evidence against Kurt Muller, caught spying for Germany in 1915. He had used lemon juice to add secret messages to letters written to Holland. When arrested, Muller had the lemon in his pocket. He was tried, secretly found guilty and executed at the Tower of London in June 1915. MI5 then mounted its first deception operation, continuing to send letters to the Germans, in Muller's name, with false information. With the money the Germans sent to the false Muller, the Security Service bought a new office car – for which the exhibition says they were "reprimanded" by the Treasury. One of the most striking exhibits is a fake Nazi medal, made for one of MI5's most successul wartime agents. Eric Roberts, known as Jack King, had posed as a Gestapo agent, to find and work with Nazi sympathisers in Britain. He identified nearly 500 people, and gave the Nazi "War Merit Cross" to two of them, who thought they were being rewarded for their wartime service to the German Reich. As the BBC revealed in 2014, later became disillusioned with the Service. The spy who suffered The Cold War section includes one of the two briefcases left by Guy Burgess at his London club, when he fled to Moscow in 1951 with fellow spy Donald Maclean. It is marked with his initials. What MI5 found in the briefcase is not included, although Burgess's passport is on show. Burgess was a British diplomat and Soviet double agent during the Second World War and the early Cold War period. He was a member of the Cambridge Five spy ring and fled to Moscow with fellow spy Donald Maclean in 1951 due to fears of being discovered. None of the Cambridge Five were ever prosecuted for spying. MI5 files released to the National Archives date back decades and there are few exhibits from the more modern era. One is part of a mortar from 1991, when the Provisional IRA attacked Number 10 Downing Street. A Cabinet meeting was taking place as a bomb exploded outside. No one was hurt. The exhibition caption explains that MI5 had advised Downing Street to replace the windows with laminated glass, as they had "monitored PIRA weaponry and bomb technology". "Had it not been for the windows," an MI5 insider reflected, "the place would have been shredded." Sir Ken McCallum said the security service had been discussing a possible exhibition for several years. Mark Dunton, National Archives historian and curator of MI5: Official Secret, said: "We were aware how interested the public are in the whole world of espionage. "We suggested [the exhibition] first but MI5 thought about it and they thought 'wow yes this would be a good thing.'" MI5: Official Secrets is running from 5 April until 28 September at The National Archives in Kew, London. Admission is free.
BBC News
02-04-2025
- BBC News
Guy Burgess's briefcase among MI5 artefacts on display
A battered leather briefcase left behind by Guy Burgess when he fled to Moscow in 1951 is among 20 objects from MI5's archives to go on display for the first time from Saturday. A joint exhibition with the National Archives tells the story of the first decades of the Security Service through objects and Director General Sir Ken McCallum says the exhibition shows "commitment to being open wherever we can".MI5 has sent 6,000 paper records to the Archives since 1997 but chooses what it will release, unlike most parts of government. The exhibition includes a blackened, withered lemon, 110 years old, which formed part of the evidence against Kurt Muller, caught spying for Germany in had used lemon juice to add secret messages to letters written to Holland. When arrested, Muller had the lemon in his was tried, secretly found guilty and executed at the Tower of London in June then mounted its first deception operation, continuing to send letters to the Germans, in Muller's name, with false the money the Germans sent to the false Muller, the Security Service bought a new office car – for which the exhibition says they were "reprimanded" by the Treasury. One of the most striking exhibits is a fake Nazi medal, made for one of MI5's most successul wartime Roberts, known as Jack King, had posed as a Gestapo agent, to find and work with Nazi sympathisers in identified nearly 500 people, and gave the Nazi "War Merit Cross" to two of them, who thought they were being rewarded for their wartime service to the German the BBC revealed in 2014, later became disillusioned with the Service. The Cold War section includes one of the two briefcases left by Guy Burgess at his London club, when he fled to Moscow in 1951 with fellow spy Donald Maclean. It is marked with his MI5 found in the briefcase is not included, although Burgess's passport is on was a British diplomat and Soviet double agent during the Second World War and the early Cold War was a member of the Cambridge Five spy ring and fled to Moscow with fellow spy Donald Maclean in 1951 due to fears of being of the Cambridge Five were ever prosecuted for spying. MI5 files released to the National Archives date back decades and there are few exhibits from the more modern is part of a mortar from 1991, when the Provisional IRA attacked Number 10 Downing Street.A Cabinet meeting was taking place as a bomb exploded outside. No one was exhibition caption explains that MI5 had advised Downing Street to replace the windows with laminated glass, as they had "monitored PIRA weaponry and bomb technology"."Had it not been for the windows," an MI5 insider reflected, "the place would have been shredded." Sir Ken McCallum said the security service had been discussing a possible exhibition for several Dunton, National Archives historian and curator of MI5: Official Secret, said: "We were aware how interested the public are in the whole world of espionage."We suggested [the exhibition] first but MI5 thought about it and they thought 'wow yes this would be a good thing.'"MI5: Official Secrets is running from 5 April until 28 September at The National Archives in Kew, London. Admission is free.
