The Big Breach - Index of

The Big Breach; From Top Secret to Maximum SecurityCompliments of http://www.192.comOn my return the office had moved from the dim and anonymous CenturyHouse to spectacular new premises on the Albert Embankment. The stateof-the-artTerry Farrell-designed office block occupied a prime site incentral London on the south bank of the Thames, facing WestminsterPalace and Whitehall, and its siting and architecture presented aradically revamped image for the service. Gigantic shoulders toweringover a glowering head in the form of its central gazebo, it was like aTerminator, belligerently daring anybody to challenge its authority. Itwas supposedly built to an official budget of œ85 million, buteverybody in the office knew that in reality it had cost nearly threetimes as much. We were warned in the weekly newsletter that discussionof the cost over-run would be considered a serious breach of the OSAand would be dealt with accordingly.The aggressive facade was appropriate, for MI6 was facing the mostserious threats to its hitherto unchallenged autonomy since itsinception. It had recently been `avowed', or publicly acknowledged toexist, by the Queen at her speech opening the new session of Parliamentin October 1993. New legislation came into effect in December 1994bringing a modicum of accountability to the service. A select group ofMPs won limited powers to scrutinise the budget and objectives of theservice, but were not allowed to investigate MI6 operations, examinepaperwork or cross-examine officers. The changes yielded a token ofpublic accountability to the reluctant service, but nothing like theoversight exercised by the US Congress over American intelligenceagenices, or even by the Russian parliament over their services. TheTreasury was also for the first time allowed to make basicinvestigations into the service's efficiency and had wielded its knife,forcing the service to make hitherto unheard-of redundancies.Many familiar faces departed the service during my absence. Even theChief, Sir Colin McColl was ejected, along with the clubbable butlethargic old-guard directors. They had been jostling for the top joband the office rumour was that one had burst into tears when he learnedthat he would not inherit the post. Instead, a new, younger breed ofmanagers was appointed, headed by David Spedding as Chief. A pushyMiddle East specialist, at 49 he was the youngest-ever officer to reachthe top. He forged his reputation during the Gulf War which broke outwhen he was deputy head of the Middle East controllerate. Thecontroller refused to return from holiday when the war started, andSpedding siezed the opportunity to grab the reins of power, leaving anindelible impression on Whitehall. He promoted an equally thrustingbunch to senior management positions.The new leadership reflected the new building - younger, meaner, moreaggressive. Perhaps it was a necessary change to combat the financialchallenges and intensified public scrutiny of the new service, butwould it be wise in the people-business of spying? It was with amixture of curiosity and trepidation that I walked the mile from myhome to Vauxhall Cross to start my first day in the new building on adrizzly June morning.Personnel department gave me ten days off after returning from Bosnia,happily spent sorting out my garden which had fallen into bedraggleddespair during my absence. The experience in Bosnia left me feelingremote from the egotistical and brazen hurly-burly of London and I hadpage- 123 - To purchase the original limited edition hardback version of this bookplease call 08000 192 192 or go to http://www.192.com