Haig's Intelligence

Beach, Jim

doi:10.1017/cbo9781139600521

Cited by 36 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…From late 1916 German battlefield communications shifted towards much greater use of wireless telegraphy or ground buzzers. 144 The growth of the BEF system to intercept this traffic falls outside the remit of this article, but the IToc system was subordinated to the new wireless intelligence officers at army-level. 145 Another important point is the temporary redeployment of Interpreter-Operators to other intelligence tasks.…”

Section: Consolidatingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The BEF knew it was coming and that the southern part of Third Army would be attacked. 161 In the fortnight beforehand Third Army's wireless intelligence summaries noted that IToc had detected a 'marked increase' in German buzzer traffic on the threatened part of their frontage. 162 Commanding one of those stations, Schürhoff stood ready to: Transmit [.…”

Section: Consolidatingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…171 He also noted that 'if it was known that an officer had a friend the two would be put in the same cage, with the idea that they would be more likely to open out to one another'. 172 Given that German officers were notoriously reticent during interrogation, 173 this would have been a logical way of redeploying IToc's cadre of experienced lnterpreter-Operators. 174 Unfortunately, neither source tells us when this type of eavesdropping began, nor do they provide any indication of the quality or volume of the intelligence that was gathered.…”

Section: Consolidatingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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British signals intelligence in the trenches, 1915–1918: part 1, listening sets

Beach

Bruce

2019

Journal of Intelligence History

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This article explores the development of signals intelligence within the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. It explains how, using listening sets, the British belatedly imitated their ally and enemy by intercepting messages that had leaked from telephone lines or were transmitted through the ground. The rise and decline of this system is unpacked comprehensively and a fresh assessment is made regarding its military contribution. It concludes that previous interpretations are broadly correct, but they have underestimated the system's influence and longevity. The article also clarifies how listening sets were used for eavesdropping on prisoners. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: Consolidatingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Consolidatingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Consolidatingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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British signals intelligence in the trenches, 1915–1918: part 1, listening sets

Beach

Bruce

2019

Journal of Intelligence History

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“…However, German heritage sometimes acted as a barrier to commissioned service in that corps. 83 In fact, all of those commissioned were of 'British' descent, in that both parents were natural born British subjects, although one (Albrecht) was the grandson of German immigrants.…”

Section: The Menmentioning

confidence: 99%

British signals intelligence in the trenches, 1915–1918: part 2, interpreter operators

Beach

Bruce

2019

Journal of Intelligence History

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This article uses prosopographical techniques to examine around 150 First World War signals intelligence personnel. Designated as 'Interpreter Operators' by the British army, these German-speakers listened to enemy and friendly messages that had leaked from telephone lines or were deliberately transmitted through the ground. Drawn from diverse ethnographic backgrounds, these men offer up a fascinating case study of an army harnessing language skills to support their military endeavours. They also highlight a paradoxical challenge facing all intelligence organisations; that in order to understand an opponent you must often employ those with close personal or familial connections to that enemy.

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“…During the First World War, British intelligence had used 'stool pigeons'native speakers or compliant prisonersto trick captives into unwittingly revealing secrets, using listening devices to pick up their responses. 48 The practice was used extensively during the Second World War. As early as October 1939, the Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre, initially under MI9 and later moved under the jurisdiction of the War Office's MI19, planned to use secret listening devices to gather intelligence from newly captured prisoners.…”

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confidence: 99%

The drugs don’t work: intelligence, torture and the London Cage, 1940–8

Lomas

2018

Intelligence and National Security

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Prisoner of war interrogation has always been an important source of intelligence. 1 In Britain, it is a topic that has often met with controversy. Wartime interrogations at MI5's Camp 020, colonial abuses during the Mau Mau uprising and Aden campaigns, the so-called 'Five Techniques' in Northern Ireland and military interrogations in Iraq and Afghanistan, have all provoked claims of ill-treatment. The growing controversy around the ethics of interrogation and allegations of torture have led to a welcome growth in the literature, moving the subject beyond the niche it once was, even if some is often prone to hyperbole. 2 Helen Fry's new account of the secretive London District Cage interrogation facility, housed in buildings off Kensington Palace Gardens, located in central London, is the latest book to shed light on the subject. As with other facilities mentioned elsewhere, the work of the 'Cage' (or LDC) has long been the subject of controversy. As home to Britain's Prisoner of War Interrogation Service (PWIS), the Cage played an important role in extracting intelligence from Axis prisoners, yet developed the formidable reputation of being 'Hell in Britain' 3 , a place where German prisoners were 'tortured to death' 4 , undermining Britain's 'love of fair play and respect for the rule of law'. 5 The Cage also played an important role in obtaining evidence for war crimes investigators at the end of the Second World War. From October 1945 to September 1948, a total of 3,573 prisoners were interrogated, providing 1,000 statements, with claims of prisoner abuse continuing into the courtroom. 6 The facility was commanded by the mysterious, German-speaking Lt. Col. Alexander Paterson Scotland who, in 1954, had tried to write an account of his experiences, provoking the full wrath of Whitehall. Scotland was eventually allowed to write only part of the story, with the full manuscript locked safely away in War Office archives and released to The National Archives (TNA) long after the story had died down. Fry's book sheds important light on this controversial facility, Scotland and the prisoners and interrogators who went through the Cage. Fry's account is the first book-length study of the LDC beyond Scotland's heavily censored memoir, filling an important gap in the writings on Second World War intelligence. Tales of spies, special operations and the codebreakers of Bletchley Park have often dominated the literature, yet Fry's book is a welcome reminder that prisoner interrogation was another important, if often overlooked, source for the Allies. As such, the book augments the important work of others such as Sonke Neitzel and Harald Welzer-as well as Fry's own workon the secret recording of German prisoners by British intelligence. 7 As with other interrogation facilities, the Cage gave the Allies a glimpse into Germany's war machine.

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Haig's Intelligence

Cited by 36 publications

References 0 publications

British signals intelligence in the trenches, 1915–1918: part 1, listening sets

British signals intelligence in the trenches, 1915–1918: part 1, listening sets

British signals intelligence in the trenches, 1915–1918: part 2, interpreter operators

The drugs don’t work: intelligence, torture and the London Cage, 1940–8

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