Welcome to Most Unusual Measures
British Approaches to Covert Activity 1945-1968
About the project
Covert action is interference in the affairs of another state or non-state actor in a plausibly deniable manner. The outcomes are visible, and may include the death of a leader, a coup, or an insurrection; but they cannot be traced back to the sponsor. It has long been a key instrument in UK foreign policy, used by successive Prime Ministers and Foreign Secretaries. Covert action remains important today and weekly meetings between the Prime Minister and intelligence chiefs, via the National Security Council, will only increase its use in the future. Historians have, however, consistently neglected its role.
In an era of global decline, Britain has traditionally used covert action to fill the gap between obligations and strength. Covert action is redolent of broader issues of Britain's place in the world and, in an era of financial and political constraints, is of growing importance. This project uses archival files to explore British approaches to covert action between 1945 and 1968. It demonstrates that covert action has been a regular fixture in Whitehall's arsenal, and that it was driven by the core executive. Covert action reflects a desire for event shaping at the very top.
Unsurprisingly, archival documents on such sensitive matters are difficult to uncover. Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) files are closed and there is, for obvious reasons, no series in the catalogue entitled 'covert action'. Uncovering covert action therefore requires much patience and time in the National Archives and elsewhere. It also relies on Freedom of Information Act requests. This website publicises key documents which are otherwise buried among tens of thousands of others. It seeks to provide easy access for scholars and students of politics and contemporary international history. Covert action should no longer be a missing dimension in the history of British foreign policy.
Browse the documents archive.
About the author
Dr Rory Cormac is a Professor at The University of Nottingham.
His research explores British foreign and security policy, with a focus on the role of the intelligence services. He held an AHRC early career fellowship between July 2015 and December 2016 to research British covert action.
This website is one of the outputs of that funding (AH/M006662/1).
Acknowledgements
The Author would like to thank Annabelle de Heus, Ailsa Mitchell, The National Archives, and Nottingham's Centre for Conflict, Security and Terrorism for their support in the creation of this website.