Cambridge Spies and vetting experiences

[Secret1]

Some amusing posts

[charliegolf]

Originally Posted by air pig

Until Blair, capital punishment was still available under British law.

But it was dead as a useful statute long before Tony B.Liar

CG

[air pig]

Originally Posted by charliegolf

But it was dead as a useful statute long before Tony B.Liar

CG

Then why did we maintain and regulary test a fully functioning execution 'shed' at Wandsworth until that point?

[Pontius Navigator]

Because treason remained an executable offence until1997

[charliegolf]

Obviously I can't 'prove' it, but no government was going to hang anybody for treason. So, I maintain it was a dead statute.

CG

[MPN11]

Hanging statues is a University thing, innit?



Sorry!

[Pontius Navigator]

CG, had we been at war then our attitude to a traitor might have been more vindictive pour encourages les autres.

[langleybaston]

My take on this is that we were indeed at war during the many acts of treason; hot war until 1945, cold until the Wall came down.
We were certainly hanging or shooting spies during the hot war, but it is not treason if you are not a UK citizen. William Joyce was possibly Irish? I will do my homework. Either way, MI5 [sic] in particular would surely have wished to keep the traitors warm. A nice nip of a truth drug in their Horlicks might have worked.

[Four Turbo]

Hope this is not entirely off subject! Attended JCSS early 70s. Senior policeman lectured on dangers to security of drugs. (One spliff and out they said).
At 'Questions' I asked for his view on the many hard drinkers in the bar at any RAF base of the time.
Answer. 'The RAF does not have anyone who drinks to excess!'

[OvertHawk]

Originally Posted by langleybaston

My take on this is that we were indeed at war during the many acts of treason; hot war until 1945, cold until the Wall came down.
We were certainly hanging or shooting spies during the hot war, but it is not treason if you are not a UK citizen. William Joyce was possibly Irish? I will do my homework. Either way, MI5 [sic] in particular would surely have wished to keep the traitors warm. A nice nip of a truth drug in their Horlicks might have worked.

Joyce was US born and had emigrated to Ireland. He then came to UK and obtained a British passport (albeit by lying about his background). The possession of this British passport was considered sufficient to earn him a long drop with a sudden stop courtesy of Mr Pierrepoint.

[Whenurhappy]

Originally Posted by langleybaston

My take on this is that we were indeed at war during the many acts of treason; hot war until 1945, cold until the Wall came down.
We were certainly hanging or shooting spies during the hot war, but it is not treason if you are not a UK citizen. William Joyce was possibly Irish? I will do my homework. Either way, MI5 [sic] in particular would surely have wished to keep the traitors warm. A nice nip of a truth drug in their Horlicks might have worked.

if you read John Masterman’s official account of the Double Cross system during WWII, spies and traitors were routinely executed. He matter of factly mentions about a captured agent ‘being of no further use, he was executed’. These weren’t I secret, so that the Abwehr and the RHSS (ie Nazi spy-runners) were aware that some of their agents had been captured, therefore the others were still operating. This was true: all German agents were captured and those not executed had been turned and operate for MI5.