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| MI5 tried to 'get rid of' India's first UK envoy |
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 India's first ambassador to the UK, VK Krishna Menon, inspired deep "distrust" within the British security service, MI5, because of his pro-soviet leanings. So much so, the agency wanted "to get rid of him", but without success. This is one of the many best-kept secrets now revealed in a book, The Defence of The Realm by historian Christopher Andrew. The book is the first authorised history of MI5, published on Monday, to mark its centenary. "The MI5 had interest in those leaders who spent considerable time in Britain. And Menon was one of them," MI5 historian Prof Christopher Andrew said. According to the book, in 1933, the security service had obtained a home office warrant or HOW on Menon on the grounds that he had links with the British Communists. The book claims that "on at least one occasion during his later political career in India, the KGB paid his election expenses". In fact, Guy Liddell, a deputy director general of MI5 had once told a joint intelligence committee that "we were doing what we could to get rid of him (Menon)". "Broadly the view was to listen in to the Communist party leadership was saying about politicians in what was the British empire at one time. A lot made the British government very nervous. On the contrary this just showed that they weren't Communists at all. But Krishna Menon was a little bit different. I have had access to some of the KGB files and let's just say, he was a little bit 'controversial'," Andrew said. The author had unprecedented access to almost 4,00,000 files and was in fact co-opted into the MI5 while working on the book. While it's a historical account, it also means that this extremely secretive organisation is finally prepared to share some of its secrets. - Agencies Related Articles:
Last update: 06-10-2009 15:42
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