Mosley, Sir Oswald (1896-1980)

Sir Oswald Mosley was one of the most controversial British politicians of the twentieth century. He was elected twice as a Member of Parliament (1918-24 and 1929-31) and was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The only significant figure in inter-war British fascism, he founded the New Party in 1931 and, in 1932, the British Union of Fascists, which was associated with anti-Semitism and violence. He was interned by the British government during the Second World War and in the post-war period created the Union Movement. He died on 3 December 198

"Russia Accuses Fleet Street": Journalists and MI6 during the Cold War

An interesting but under-researched area of journalism studies is the relationship between journalists, particularly foreign correspondents, and the intelligence services during the cold war. The aim of this paper is to consider whether there is any evidence to back up specific allegations made in the Soviet era press in December 1968 that in the post–Second World War period named leading British journalists working for the national newspapers had a covert relationship with the British Secret Intelligence Service that involved their recruitment as agents and the use of intelligence-derived material in their articles in the press. The paper raises questions about the methods of researching such alleged activities. Is it possible in the absence of files from the secret intelligence services to undertake a serious study of such activities? Does the development of digital sources and archives open new fields of detailed study? It also reveals the potential historical significance of the role journalists played in the reporting of key events and policy issues during the cold war

The pinprick approach: Whitehall’s top-secret anti-communist committee and the evolution of British covert action strategy

This article examines Great Britain’s approach to covert action during the formative years of British Cold War intelligence operations, 1950–1951. Rather than shy away from such activity in the wake of the failure in Albania in the late 1940s, the British increased the number of operations they pursued. This was the start of a coherent strategy regarding covert activity that can be conceptualized as the “pinprick” approach. The strategy was overseen by a highly secretive Whitehall body, the Official Committee on Communism, which in effect became the government’s covert action committee. This article uses the commission’s recently declassified papers for the first time to assess the merits of this approach

Sir Oswald Mosley and British Fascism

Hated and adored, trusted and feared, respected and scorned - public opinion has never been luke warm or indifferent to Oswald Mosley. Blackshirt proves how very dangerous Mosley was. Over the years many have worked hard to guard Mosley's reputation but this book casts new light on the man, answering such questions as, ‘how did Mosley get his funding for the Fascist Party?’ Dorril has been given access to new information and made important discoveries. He has interviewed many of those who knew him, including his widow Diana, to come closer to the truth about Mosley and his politic

Blackshirt: Sir Oswald Mosley and British Fascism

Hated and adored, trusted and feared, respected and scorned – public opinion has never been indifferent to Sir Oswald Mosley. A brilliant politician, Mosley turned his back on conventional party politics to found, in 1932, the British Union of Fascists. Over the intervening years until now, many have worked hard to guard Mosley’s reputation but Blackshirt casts new light on the man. The author reveals the true nature of Mosley's relationship with the Nazis, and challenges the prevailing view of Mosley’s descent into anti-Semitism. With ground-breaking research and extensive use of archive material Dorril uncovers a bizarre set of characters and behind-the-scenes friends and colleagues who supported Mosley – the crooks, swindlers, political and royal figures, secret agents, Nazi spies, lovers and ‘crackpots’. Blackshirt is an important and controversial new biography that overturns many of the accepted ideas about Oswald Mosley and British Fascism