Spying on Newsbeat
| 10:10 UK time, Monday, 26 November 2007
Dinner jackets, gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual day/dates, a Walther PPK and a few exploding cigarette cases. Actually, not one of these was on show the night Newsbeat went to have dinner with the staff of MI6 at their ultra-secret headquarters by the Thames in London. Well, not that ultra-secret, actually - you'll have seen it on Bond films and the odd piece-to-camera behind a reporter on News 24.
A reporter from Newsbeat has become the first journalist ever to record an "on the record" broadcast interview inside MI6 headquarters in London. Andy West's movements inside Vauxhall Cross were strictly controlled so he was prevented from seeing anything that could be sensitive to any active operations, or compromise the identity of staff or agents. However, he interviewed two MI6 officers and the head of MI6 recruitment, in their work place. It's part of a week-long series of special reports on the starting today on Radio 1.
"Mark" (of course, not his real name) the head of MI6 recruitment, speaking to a broadcast microphone for the first time, revealed the need to recruit a wider spectrum of officers from different ethnic backgrounds. He said that SIS's decision just over a year ago to try "open" recruitment - as opposed to a surreptitious tap on the shoulder of potential recruits while they're still at Oxbridge - has yielded great benefits. He also said the service has sometimes suffered because of the James Bond association.
“To be honest I think sometimes we're hindered by it - because I think it gives people a false impression of what working for the organisation is actually like, so it does tend to turn up quite a lot of thrill seekers and fantasists and we're really not interested in them".
He also said the notion of a "Licence to Kill" is not real. He stressed how important it is to recruit from a wider spectrum including British Muslims - but not just them: “We need people to deploy into a range of situations around the world and people who have a different ethnicity can often go places and do things and meet people that those from a white background can’t… There are some places that white males can't go".
Newsbeat also interviewed a serving MI6 operational officer, the role people outside the service would think of as "special agent" or "spy". "Yasmin", who's in her late 20s and from the Midlands, is a Muslim.
"My job is to identify, target and recruit people from abroad who will provide us with secret intelligence - for a particular part of the world - I can’t tell you which one"
She revealed the areas of interest which MI 6 officers look at. "They include things like counter terrorism, the international drugs trade, the wider nuclear threat; it can also include promoting British economic interests abroad, so just making sure Britain isn’t being ripped off."
She described working with informants abroad or what MI6 refer to as "agents".
"It's something that runs through every day of my job - their lives and their safety is my responsibility... We will do everything in our power to make sure our agents are safe."
When asked if she got the job because she's a Muslim, "No I don't think I was. The area of the world I work in, it would make no difference whether I was a Muslim or not."
Responding to the accusation that there may be some elements of the British Muslim community who feel the Establishment or government is out to get them, and they may even view "Yasmin" as a traitor to their cause she said, "I would challenge that view very strongly... The way I feel is my duty to God is totally compatible with my duty to my country... I feel very, very strongly that if you are able to do something to make a difference you should make that difference."
And what about dinner? Not very Ian Fleming at all - in a windowless room protected by an alarmed steel door - sandwiches and soft drinks. It's so not like the movies and not even a bottle of Bollinger '37 in sight.
Comments
So is this when journalists get into bed with M15/M16 - over a nice, if boring, little dinner over at HQ? Nothing like embedding yourself in plain sight, I guess. Intelligence agencies are in desperate need of darker spooks on the ground now that the UK's pale males linked up with stupid white men from the USA to generate lots of nasty blowback in the Middle East. Friendly journalists and curious darkies required to paste a credible face on secretive US-UK geo-strategies? After Evan's little scare-speech to the Editors a few weeks back, this reeks to high heaven.
Jenny, paranoid much?
Jenny - we're watching you.
I agree with Jenny. Very dubious. No information, just a puff-piece for the government. What does this article tell us?!?!
Wonder who will read my post - maybe some spy actually ???? This is why it is good I writre in black - maybe I will go unnoticed !!!
Okay, so you've just written a report like every other we've read or heard on the 91Èȱ¬ today. Where's the insider behind-the-scenes information on how it was put together? All the new facts we know from this blog is that you had dinner in room with a door.
Certainly a very interesting piece of news, I wish that we could have something like it in the States.
Maybe it was due to lack of access, or maybe the access that was granted went to your heads, but this was an extremely one-sided article and does nothing for the reputation of journalistic balance. There was no exploration of why many minorities feel that M15 is targeting them, just a ringing endorsement of the joys of working for the government. And this blog doesn't add anything in terms of explaining the thinking behind the article, it just repeats it.
Jenny - what a hackneyed and cliched view of the work the intelligence services do. How many Chomskyite buzz words can you fit in one blog comment?
You evidently have no idea what you are talking about. Cynicism like yours is corrosive and ultimately poisonous. Despite your knowing negativity, it is you who is naive.
Jenny, that chip on your shoulder must weight a ton!
Jenny, not entirely politically correct? Surprised to see her comment has lasted so long on a 91Èȱ¬ website.
Jenny,
Do you even know what you're implying? It's easy to be a cynic, but what do you actually think is going on?
The 91Èȱ¬ didn't seem to ask any remotely difficult questions. e.g.
There are some fundamental things that need to be addressed.
Is it right to ensnare foreign nationals into working for M16 (via whatever mechanisms they use)?
If caught, these "agents" may face very long prison sentences and in some cases execution. Many of these people may never have done anything wrong if it wasn't for M16 persuading them to betray their countries and not all of the countries we spy on are terrible dictatorships that must be brought down at any cost.
For example, we were heavily involved in overthrowing the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953.
Here's another issue. Is being a traitor fundamentally wrong and abhorrent? If the answer is no, then why are we so harsh with our own traitors?
Al-qaeda has already infiltrated the the NHS and the police. It will be interesting to see how long it takes before some of these new 'special' recruits are at the old bailey being tried for giving information to AQ/Iran/Syria.
I actually find the paranoid comments quite funny. Of course this blog doesn't tell you much, but most blogs don't, no-one forced you to read it.
Besides MI5 and MI6 actually have websites these days. If you read what the websites say you'll actually find that MI5 is actually mostly paperwork and MI6 is mostly boring logistical and administration jobs unless you're an "operational officer".
Even then I doubt you will be the next James Bond as soon as you join, though a watch that shoots lasers WOULD be a good perk to get people to join...
Either paranoid or protesting too much... I guess the truth lies somewhere in between. In the meantime, what are we to make of this:
'Andrew Gilligan', reports Greenslade at The Guardian, 'spoke about the relationship between journalists and the intelligence services and began by urging the audience to read a New Statesman article by The Observer correspondent David Rose.
'Gilligan explained how shadowy spokespeople for MI5 and MI6 brief selected journalists and that what they say has to be taken on trust because it cannot be checked with another source. "A number of journalists," he said, "are rather uncritical recipients of what can only be described as intelligence services spin."
Gilligan named Con Coughlin's 'belly dancers of death" story of 2001, which suggested that Saddam Hussein's intelligence chiefs were using the dancers to report on and eliminate Iraqi opposition abroad.
According to Gilligan, this "complete load of old drivel was swallowed wholesale by the Sunday Telegraph" before they were forced to issue an apology.
Gilligan also mentioned the Con's other story - involving Gadaffi's son - which led to a court action. Gilligan reckons this was also "completely wrong" and 'planted by MI6'.
Is it any wonder pyjama people choose to keep their bullshit detectors switched on? PS: I was set to respond to the earlier poster who derided 'pyjama people' and lauded the salaried journalist - but I note that his post has been retroactively moderated out of sight.
Jenny - A Racist, totally uninformed Michael Moore-esque left wing rant from a student frustrated at the time she wasted studying a pointless 'ology' at a 2nd rate university. Just hope you dont ever need the help of our heroic national security services.
At the risk of attracting the insults that poor Jenny is being treated to, can someeone please explain why we should be so proud of organisations which: failed to warn about the Falklands; failed to warn about Kuwait’s invasion by Iraq; got it ridiculously wrong about 45mins; shoots innocent Brazilians & provided, for many years, a comfortable life & income for some of the biggest traitors this country has ever known etc. How much is their budget really? What oversight do we really have on them? Have any of the above people considered the caliber of people like David Shayler? Have they read Spycatcher? Do they understand the Stalker story? Blind patriotism makes you a sheep.Perhaps I too should just insult Jenny & ensure my thoughts get posted.
Some very interesting responses here! I applaud Radio 1 for putting out these, yes, NOT very informative, pieces on what is an incredibly SECRET and I'm sorry to say VERY necessary organisation! OF COURSE we're not going to get to know anything of any REAL interest, but to even "dispell," James Bond MI6/5 types for the vast majority of the population who do not have knowledge of this somewhat "shady," world is very necessary. If you read some of the comments on "how do I join," I'm afraid it seems that message is STILL not really getting through but hey! WELL done RADIO 1 for even TRYING!!! Also, yes, MI5, MI6 SO19 etc have all made HORRENDOUS mistakes over the years, which are sometimes all to horrifically apparent (STOCKWELL, Iraq etc) BUT please, we do NOT see, and NEVER will the number of incidents that ARE thwarted, or the SUCCESSES of those organisations!! AS far as someone refering to "targetting minorities," until Doris and Mavis from the "Methodist Society of Skegness Afternoon Tea Club," fly planes into large buildings, or blow themselves up on trains, I'm afraid SOME minorities WILL find themselves in the glare of the intelligence services. Palastine situation is AWFUL as is IRAQ, but that gives NO ONE the right to do those things. Moderates.... PLEASE jump and down more to condemn?!!! Here endeth the lesson!
Excellent interview; showed that MI6 staff are real human beings after all. Pity Jenny's comments are taking up so much space.
I have just read Joe's post, and I am pleased to see that not everyone is jumping on the same bandwagon as Jenny (sorry- i bet you are regretting your words a bit now). Yes, blind patriotism can be seen as sheep-like but unswerving respect and gratitude for the jobs these people do- MI5, MI6, GCHQ, CO19, the Police & the Armed Forces- is not a bad thing. I'm not going to trot out the cliched "so we can sleep safely..." line but it is true. And quite what kind of Top Secret revelations people were expecting,i'm not sure. come on, i would have thought given their official title is "SIS" (look it up if you don't know it), it wasn't going to be the most exciting article in the world. But as previously mentioned well done to Newsbeat/ 91Èȱ¬ for doing it.