‘New Statesman’ names secret service chiefs

Press, 9 February 1980, Page 7

‘New Statesman’ names secret service chiefs

NZPA-Reuter London

The Left-wing “New Statesman” has named the heads of Britain’s secret services, whose identities are normally hidden, and described their electronic surveillance and bugging operations, in the latest instalment of revelations which have already caused a storm in Parliament. The “New Statesman” said the security and intelligence services had exclusive use of eight large office blocks in London. It printed the addresses of the London offices, and estimated that they employed 5400 people. i The “New Statesman” said the head of Britain's counter-espionage security service, known as M. 1.5, was Sir Howard TraytonSmith, a former ambassador in Moscow, while the secret intelligence service,

M. 1.6, was headed by Sir Arthur “Dickie” Franks.

The magazine said that although planting a bug on target premises required breaking and entering or, at least, gaining entry’ by deception, no legal warrants were needed.

It quoted an unnamed intelligence official as giving this description of bugging and telephone tapping targets: “Embassies, all of them .. - • including the Americans . . . Trade union leaders and offices all the time... Journalists, not very' many . . . Shipping companies, they are a very' valuable source of information . - • A few Members of Parliament.”

Every surveillance’ resource " was employed to monitor the conversations and discussions of the

Rhodesian guerrilla leaders, Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe, during the Rhodesian constitutional conference in London last autumn, the “New Statesman” said.

This surveillance operation, according to a senior intelligence source, was authorised directly by the Prime Minister (Mrs Margaret Thatcher) and the Foreign Secretary (Lord Carrington), the “New Statesman” said. The secret services and the police shared a joint electronic surveillance and bugging centre at a quiet house in Camberwell, south London, it reported.

Last week the “New Statesman” caused a storm in Parliament when it published details of a sophisticated Government phone-tapping centre in centra! London.