Difference between revisions of "Maurice Oldfield"

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Sir [[Maurice Oldfield]] was Chief of the [[Secret Intelligence Service]] from 1973 to 1978.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.15.</ref>
 
Sir [[Maurice Oldfield]] was Chief of the [[Secret Intelligence Service]] from 1973 to 1978.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.15.</ref>
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==Early life==
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Oldfield was born on 16 November 1915, in Overhaddon, Derbyshire where his parents were tenant farmers.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, pp.20-21.</ref> He was educated at the Lady Manners Grammar School in Bakewell.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.22 .</ref> He studied at the University of Manchester, where his professors included [[Lewis Namier]], [[Ernest Jacob]] and [[A.J.P. Taylor]].<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.29.</ref> He graduated with a first class degree in history in 1937, earning a Fellowship at the University the following year.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, pp.34-35.</ref>
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Oldfield was called up in the South Staffordshire Regiment in 1941.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.39.</ref> After basic training, he transferred to the [[Field Security Police]], the most junior branch of the [[Intelligence Corps]], and was sent to Ismailia in the Suez Canal Zone.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, pp.29-30.</ref>
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==SIME==
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In September 1941, Oldfield was talent-spotted by major [[H.M. Trethowan]], the Defence Security Officer (DSO), Suez Canal Area, in [[SIME]] and sent to work on liaison with the Free French in Lebanon, under the DSO, Syria.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.42.</ref>
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Oldfield himself joined [[SIME]] shortly after being commissioned in April 1943.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.46.</ref> He was involved in deception operations against the Germans, but later said according to Richard Deacon:
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::Without aid from our friends inside the German [[Abwehr]], we shouldn't have won the war quite so soon. And if we had heeded some of them rather more than we did, it is possible that we could have won the war much earlier and not ended up with another potential enemy, if not on our doorstep, at least not very far away.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.55.</ref>
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Oldfield was posted to Cairo in early 1945. He replaced Trethowan as head of A section of SIME and eventually became the right hand man of SIME's commanding officer, Brigadier [[Douglas Roberts]].<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, pp.59-60 .</ref>
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In Cairo, he was involved in liaison with the [[Jewish Agency]] through [[Teddy Kollek]], who became a lifelong friend. During 1946, he spent some time in the Defence Security Office in Jerusalem.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.69.</ref>
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According to Richard Deacon, Oldfield believed that the British concern with illegal immigration to Palestine was a major error, stating:
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::Many, if not most of those Jews were escaping from the horrors of Nazi-dominated Europe, and some of the rest were escaping from Stalinist anti-semitism.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.70.</ref>
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==MI6==
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From 1947, Oldfield was an [[MI6]] officer, joining as deputy head of the R5 counter-espionage section under his old commander Douglas Roberts.<ref>Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, pp.73-74.</ref>
  
 
==Wilson Plot==
 
==Wilson Plot==

Revision as of 21:21, 23 January 2013

Sir Maurice Oldfield was Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service from 1973 to 1978.[1]

Early life

Oldfield was born on 16 November 1915, in Overhaddon, Derbyshire where his parents were tenant farmers.[2] He was educated at the Lady Manners Grammar School in Bakewell.[3] He studied at the University of Manchester, where his professors included Lewis Namier, Ernest Jacob and A.J.P. Taylor.[4] He graduated with a first class degree in history in 1937, earning a Fellowship at the University the following year.[5]

Oldfield was called up in the South Staffordshire Regiment in 1941.[6] After basic training, he transferred to the Field Security Police, the most junior branch of the Intelligence Corps, and was sent to Ismailia in the Suez Canal Zone.[7]

SIME

In September 1941, Oldfield was talent-spotted by major H.M. Trethowan, the Defence Security Officer (DSO), Suez Canal Area, in SIME and sent to work on liaison with the Free French in Lebanon, under the DSO, Syria.[8]

Oldfield himself joined SIME shortly after being commissioned in April 1943.[9] He was involved in deception operations against the Germans, but later said according to Richard Deacon:

Without aid from our friends inside the German Abwehr, we shouldn't have won the war quite so soon. And if we had heeded some of them rather more than we did, it is possible that we could have won the war much earlier and not ended up with another potential enemy, if not on our doorstep, at least not very far away.[10]

Oldfield was posted to Cairo in early 1945. He replaced Trethowan as head of A section of SIME and eventually became the right hand man of SIME's commanding officer, Brigadier Douglas Roberts.[11]

In Cairo, he was involved in liaison with the Jewish Agency through Teddy Kollek, who became a lifelong friend. During 1946, he spent some time in the Defence Security Office in Jerusalem.[12]

According to Richard Deacon, Oldfield believed that the British concern with illegal immigration to Palestine was a major error, stating:

Many, if not most of those Jews were escaping from the horrors of Nazi-dominated Europe, and some of the rest were escaping from Stalinist anti-semitism.[13]

MI6

From 1947, Oldfield was an MI6 officer, joining as deputy head of the R5 counter-espionage section under his old commander Douglas Roberts.[14]

Wilson Plot

In early August 1975, Prime Minister Harold Wilson called in Oldfield and demanded to know if MI5 were plotting against him. Oldfield conceded that an element of MI5 was unreliable. Author David Leigh notes of this episode:

There is really little doubt that Oldfield had this conversation with Wilson, although there is some uncertainty about the circumstances. Both Pincher and Anthony Cavendish have testified in print that they received a version of it from Oldfield. The journalist Barrie Penrose says that he heard a similar version from the other participant - Harold Wilson himself. This makes three good witnesses, even though Oldfield is dead now, and Wilson silent.[15]

Former MI5 officer Peter Wright records a conversation he had with Oldfield the day after this meeting in Spycatcher:

"I was called in by the Prime Minister yesterday," he said, his tone suddenly changing. "He was talking about a plot. Apparently he's heard that your boys have been going around town stirring things up about him and Marcia Falkender, and Communists at No. 10."
He trailed away as if it were all too distasteful for him.
It's serious, Peter, " he began again. "I need to know everything. Look what's happening in Washington with Watergate. The same thing will happen here unless we're very careful.[16]

Wright revealed that MI5 officers had been plotting against Wilson in the previous summer of 1974. Oldfield told him to pass on this information to MI5 chief Michael Hanley the next day, which he did. Wright records that Hanley's first reaction was an outburst against Oldfield's interference.[17]

Authors Robin Ramsay and Stephen Dorril say of this episode: "This is perhaps the most remarkable passage in Spycatcher. The Personal Assistant of the Director General of MI5 'regularly' dining with the head of MI6?" They go on to ask: Had Oldfield not recruited him, 'turned' him? Had Wright not 'defected' to MI5's arch-enemy, MI6?"[18]

Sir Desmond de Silva QC revealed in 2009 that Oldfield visited his home on 12 August 1975, and told him that Wilson's offices had been burgled during 1974:“Maurice told me that the papers stolen from the offices were now being offered for sale to German and Dutch magazines. He then joked that he expected I would be representing one of the culprits in due course.”[19]

After two alleged burglars were arrested on 4 March 1976, Oldfield arranged for de Silva to be instructed for the defence. Wilson resigned on 16 March, prior to the committal proceedings at which de Silva would have been able to refer to the documents stolen in the burglary, including a letter that could have been construed as insider trading:

“There was nothing sinister in the papers I saw, nothing you could say related to national security, but I saw this letter from Eric Miller [a property developer] to Harold Wilson, advising the sale of Peachey Property shares by the holder.”[20]

External Resources

Notes

  1. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.15.
  2. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, pp.20-21.
  3. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.22 .
  4. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.29.
  5. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, pp.34-35.
  6. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.39.
  7. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, pp.29-30.
  8. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.42.
  9. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.46.
  10. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.55.
  11. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, pp.59-60 .
  12. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.69.
  13. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, p.70.
  14. ↑ Richard Deacon, 'C': A Biography of Sir Maurice Oldfield, Futura, 1985, pp.73-74.
  15. ↑ David Leigh, The Wilson Plot, Mandarin,1989, p250.
  16. ↑ Peter Wright, Spycatcher, Viking 1987, p.371.
  17. ↑ Peter Wright, Spycatcher, Viking 1987, p.371.
  18. ↑ Stephen Dorril and Robin Ramsay, Smear: Wilson & The Secret State, Fourth Estate Limited, 1991, p.297.
  19. ↑ Michael Evans, Harold Wilson resignation 'linked to MI6, burglary and insider trading', The Times, 22 August 2009.
  20. ↑ Michael Evans, Harold Wilson resignation 'linked to MI6, burglary and insider trading', The Times, 22 August 2009.
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