History: The Security Service at The National Archives

You can learn more about this history of the Security Service at The National Archives in Kew. We have released nearly 4,000 files to The National Archives, covering a period up to 1957.

All of the released files can be examined by National Archives pass holders, free of cost, and ordered through the National Archives catalogue. See Catalogue Search for a search form. Some of the files can also be seen online through the DocumentsOnline (new window) service.

We usually release files twice a year, generally each spring and autumn. See What's in the National Archives? for a brief overview of the topic areas covered by our files. It should be noted that some of the files we release are redacted to ensure the removal of sensitive information, and some individual documents may be retained for the same reason (see Retention and destruction of files for more on our document release and retention policies).

The National Archives website (new window) provides a full overview of the most noteworthy files released from April 2000 onwards. Click on one of the following links to find out about the files released on that date.

• 1 September 2008


• 3 March 2008


• 4 September 2007


• 2 March 2007


• 4 September 2006


• 1 March 2006


• 5 September 2005


• 1 March 2005


• 21 May 2004


• 14 November 2003 (new window)


• 25-26 November 2002 (PDF 909Kb - new window)


• 14 & 29 November 2001
  - part 1 (PDF 674Kb - new window)
  - part 2 (PDF 230Kb - new window)


• 4 July 2001 (PDF 944Kb - new window)


• 10 November 2000 (PDF 2.76Mb - new window)


• 1 April 2000 (PDF 789 Kb - new window)