In the popular imagination MI5, or the Security Service, is known
chiefly as the branch of the British state responsible for chasing
down those who endanger national security-from Nazi fifth
columnists to Soviet spies and today's domestic extremists. Yet,
working from official documents released to the National
Archives,distinguished historian Caute discovers that suspicion
also fell on those who merely exercised their civil liberties,
posing no threat to national security. In reality, this 'other
history' of the Security Service, was dictated not only by the
consistent anti-Communist and Imperial aims of the British state
but also by the political prejudices of MI5's personnel. The
guiding notions were 'Defence of the Realm' and 'subversion.' Caute
here exposes the massive state operation to track the activities
and affiliations of a range of journalists, academics, scientists,
filmmakers, writers actors and musicians, who the Security Service
classified as a threat to national security. Guilt by association
was paramount. Letters were opened, phones were intercepted,
private homes were bugged and citizens were placed under physical
surveillance by Special Branch agents. Among the targets of
surveillance are found such prominent figures as Arthur Ransome,
Paul Robeson, J.B. Priestley, Kingsley Amis, George Orwell, Doris
Lessing, Christopher Isherwood, Stephen Spender, Dorothy Hodgkin,
Jacob Bronowski, John Berger, Benjamin Britten, Christopher Hill,
Eric Hobsbawm, Kingsley Martin, Michael Redgrave, Joan Littlewood,
Joseph Losey, Michael Foot and Harriet Harman. More than 200
victims are listed here but further MI5 files will be released to
the National Archives.
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