Sir Michael Hanley (Director General 1972-76)
Sir Michael Hanley (1918–2001) served as an officer of the Royal Artillery during the Second World War. He became the Assistant Military Attaché in Budapest in 1946. He joined the Security Service in 1948.
In 1971, he became the Deputy Director General and was promoted to Director General the following year. During his time in office, he faced a difficult relationship with the Prime Ministers of the day. Harold Wilson wrongly suspected MI5 of plotting against him (see "The Wilson Plot") and James Callaghan decided to appoint a successor from outside the Service.
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MI5 Director General Ken McCallum gave his annual threat update at Thames House on 14 July 2021.
The first elements of the new Counter Terrorism Operations Centre (CTOC) in London have been unveiled.
To pay our respects, MI5 is flying the UK and US flags together in the entrance of Thames House, our London HQ