UK domestic spy agency MI5 to reveal some of its secrets in London exhibition
A World War II-era guide to tailing a target, and files on notorious double agents such as Kim Philby, feature in MI5: Official Secrets show
Avoid facial disguises, carry loose change and be ready to make split-second decisions: just some of the advice Britain’s domestic spy agency gave recruits tailing subjects nearly a century ago.
The MI5 security service issued the World War II-era guide to “observation” work, complete with drawings detailing how best to engage in pursuit, to officers unfamiliar with this key piece of spycraft.
From “picking up the suspect” and “following in the street” to “in a restaurant” and “travelling by train”, the how-to guide even features guidance when a subject enters a post office – deemed “excellent opportunities for investigation”.
The booklet is among various newly declassified records set to go on display in a groundbreaking exhibition showcasing MI5’s work over its 115-year history.
Set to open at the National Archives in west London later this year, the exhibition marks the agency’s first collaboration with archivists to provide “an insider’s perspective on the evolution of espionage”.
The exhibition – “MI5: Official Secrets” – will feature original case files, photographs and papers, alongside authentic espionage equipment used by spies and spycatchers, according to the National Archives.
