Frank Cooper

Sir Frank Cooper was Permanent Secretary at the Northern Ireland Office from 1973 to 1976 and at the Ministry of Defence from 1976 to 1982.

Retirement

The Telegraph notes of Cooper's 1982 retirement:

Through his business contacts, he became deputy chairman of Babcock International, chairman of United Scientific Holdings, and joined a number of other boards, including N M Rothschild.

The ease with which he transferred from the Civil Service to related jobs in the private sector, however, added to the general controversy over the recruitment of civil servants into sensitive jobs in private industry, which eventually led to a tightening of the rules.

In 1986, Cooper told the New Statesman:

'I think there's always been doubts as to who Wilson associated with, there's always been worries about that'. Mentioning some of Wilson's friends, Cooper added: 'I think if you've got a Prime Minister who has got friends of a doubtful character, then you've got to be careful'"

External Resources

• Owen Boycott, Northern Ireland archives show 1970s moves to keep republicans behind bars, guardian.co.uk, 4 July 2010