David Ranson

From Powerbase
Revision as of 03:36, 14 January 2011 by Tom Griffin (talk | contribs) (Order of the Bath)
Jump to: navigation, search

David Ranson was a senior officer of the Security Service, MI5.

Unlike other sources, Stephen Dorril refers to a 'David Ransom' in The Silent Conspiracy. This is clearly the same person, and is most likely a mis-spelling.[1]

Stella Rimington states in her autobiography that she succeeded Ranson as a Deputy Director General of MI5 in 1990:

I was appointed on the retirement of David Ranson a long-time Security Service officer who had made his reputation in the counter-subversion branch at the time of the 1974 miner's strike and had been very involved in the early days of the service's work fighting international terrorism. His retirement turned out to be sadly short, as he died only a couple of years later.[2]

The Guardian's Andrew Moncur reported in January 1990:

Another intriguing question touching on the New Year honours list - which, as yesterday's diary pointed out, included a knighthood for the head of MI6. One David Ranson, described as a deputy secretary, Ministry of Defence, was awarded a CB (Companion of the Order of Bath). Strangely, his name does not appear in the Civil Service Year Book. Could he possibly be related to the David Ranson who was head of MI5's F (counter-subversion) branch in the 1970s? With a particular interest in trade unions? By a curious coincidence, MI5 uses MoD cover, although, in theory, it comes under the Home Office.[3]

Notes

  1. Stephen Dorril, The Silent Conspiracy: Inside the IntelligenceService in the 1990s, Mandarin, 1994, p.8.
  2. Stella Rimington, Open Secret, Arrow Books, 2002, p.222.
  3. Andrew Moncur, Diary, The Guardian, 5 January 1990.