History: 1960 to 1989

Spy cases continued to be in the forefront of the Security Service's work during the 1960s and 1970s. From the 1970s onwards new threats emerged in the form of domestic and international terrorist groups, particularly the Provisional IRA.

The Service played a significant role in the Profumo Affair of 1962-63, in which the then Secretary of State for War, John Profumo MP, was indirectly linked with a Soviet diplomat. In June 1963, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan tasked the Master of the Rolls, Lord Denning, with investigating the affair. He was to examine "the operation of the Security Service and the adequacy of their cooperation with the police in matters of security", amongst other matters.

Lord Denning's subsequent report revealed for the first time a number of important aspects of the Security Service's work. The report also cleared the Service and the police of responsibility for the outcome of the Profumo Affair.

Soviet spies in the UK

A number of major spy cases punctuated the 1960s. These included the defection of Kim Philby, one of the Cambridge spies, to the Soviet Union; the exposure of SIS officer George Blake and Admiralty official John Vassal as Soviet spies; and the uncovering of the Portland spy ring.

These cases illustrated the need for a substantial counter-espionage effort. An effort to combat ongoing Soviet espionage activity thus formed a large part of the Service's work through the 1970s and 1980s. This period culminated in the mass expulsion from the UK in 1971 of 105 Soviet citizens known or suspected to be involved in intelligence activity. The expulsions severely damaged Soviet intelligence operations in Britain.

In 1983, Michael Bettaney, a member of the Service who had offered information to the KGB, was detected, charged and subsequently convicted of espionage. Following a Security Commission inquiry, whose findings were critical of aspects of the Service, Sir Antony Duff, formerly of the Foreign Office and Cabinet Office, was appointed as Director General in 1985.

Counter-terrorism and new responsibilities

Photograph of Provisional IRA members posing with weapons Members of the Provisional IRA posing with weapons in the early 1970s

By the late 1970s, resources were being redirected from counter-subversion work into international and Irish counter-terrorism.

The Service's involvement in counter-terrorist work grew steadily through the decade in response to the growing problem of Middle Eastern terrorism.

The issue was highlighted by a number of major incidents across Europe: the massacre of Israeli athletes in Munich in 1972, the siege at the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980 and the killing of WPC Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan People's Bureau in 1984.

The growing sophistication of terrorist groups tested the Service's developing procedures and links with other agencies. During the 1970s and 1980s, the Service played a leading role in establishing an effective network for co-operation on terrorism among Western security and intelligence services.

In 1989, the Service was put on a statutory basis for the first time under the Security Service Act 1989. This defined most of the current roles and responsibilities of the Service. See our Statutory Basis page for more information.

The 1971 Soviet spy expulsions

Photograph of a KGB Badge KGB badge

During the 1960s, the Soviet Union pursued an aggressive and large-scale espionage campaign against Western countries, including the United Kingdom. The KGB and its sister service, the GRU, operated under the cover of Soviet embassies around the world.

By 1971, there were 550 Soviet diplomatic officials resident in the UK - more than in any other Western country, including the United States.

A number of Soviet agents were detected in the UK through the 1960s. Between 1960 and 1971, 27 Soviet Embassy officials were asked to leave the UK for involvement in "activities incompatible with their [diplomatic] status". However, despite repeated complaints from the British Government, spying continued unabated.

The then Foreign Secretary, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, and Home Secretary Reginald Maudling sent a joint memorandum to the Prime Minister, Edward Heath. They warned that there were at least 120 Soviet intelligence officers operating in Britain and that the Soviets were causing serious problems:

"If the cases of which we have knowledge are typical, the total damage done by these Soviet intelligence gatherers must be considerable... Known targets during the last few years have included the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence; and on the commercial side, the Concorde, the Bristol 'Olympus 593' aero-engine, nuclear energy projects and computer electronics."

The investigation into Soviet activities in the UK, codenamed Operation FOOT, came to a head on 24 September 1971 when the Government ordered 90 Soviet officials to leave the UK. It also revoked the visas of a further 15 officials who were abroad at the time.

The Soviets were surprised and dismayed by the British action. The Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko complained bitterly of the "hooligan-like acts of the British police" and ordered 18 British diplomats to be expelled from Russia in retaliation. But the British action served its purpose. The former KGB officer Oleg Kalugin commented in his book Spymaster (1994) that "our intelligence-gathering activities in England suffered a blow from which they never recovered."