British Secret Intelligence MI6

British Secret Intelligence:

MI6

Introduction

“Hello Mr. Bond.” The character, James Bond, usually comes to mind when one thinks of the British agency MI6. An agency that enables its agents to have a license to kill, enabling them to do anything, at any cost to achieve the greater good, with the head of the agency M sitting behind a desk giving orders. This sounds like an agency that anyone would love to work for. In reality, it is an agency that has been through several wars and has evolved over the years with lies, secrets, and betrayal (Corera, 2011).

At one point the British Secret Intelligence, often known as MI6, was very similar to the fictional James Bond character. The agents in the beginning did not necessarily have a license to kill, but they were encouraged to master the skills of lying and betrayal. This included breaking the law, stealing, assisting in the overthrow of unfriendly governments, and perhaps parachuting into enemy territory (Corera, 2011).

During its infancy, the agency did not even officially exist. MI6’s main goal was, and still is to an extent, to steal the secrets of others including foreign spies and countries. The agency has managed to keep most of its history and operations a secret in its 100 plus history. By doing this, they have become the “godfather” of spy agencies throughout the world.

The agency over its 100 year existence has played parts in both World Wars, combating the Germans through espionage securing the survival of the British. It has also participated in the Cold War era fighting communism and providing valuable information to the government, and assisting in the 21st century fight against terrorism and serious international crime.

The dawn of a new age within the int...

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...cold. Retrieved from BBC News website: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-24803131

• Corera, G. (2011). MI6 life and death in the British secret service. London: Phoenix.

• Corera, G. (2012). The Art of Betrayal: The Secret History of MI6. New York: Pegasus Books.

• Dorril, S. (2000). Mi6. New York: The Free Press.

• Jeffery, K. (2010). Mi6 The History of the Secret Intelligence Service 1909-1949. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

• (n.d.). Our history. Retrieved from Secret Intelligence Service website: https://www.sis.gov.uk/our-history.html

• Taylor, R. N. (2013, November 17). Mi6 defend Kim Philby long after he was exposed as KGB spy. Retrieved from The Guardian website: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/24/mi6-defended-kim-philby-spy

• Thomas, G. (2009). Secret wars: One Hundred years of British Intelligence Inside MI5 and MI6. New York: St Martin's Press