'CHURCHILL SOLUTION' TO FILLING TOP POST IN INTELLIGENCE IS SOUGHT

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Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP96B01172R000300030030-3
Release Decision: 
RIFPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
1
Document Creation Date: 
December 20, 2016
Document Release Date: 
December 14, 2007
Sequence Number: 
30
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NSPR
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PDF icon CIA-RDP96B01172R000300030030-3.pdf101.58 KB
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Approved For Release 2007/12/14: CIA-RDP96BO1172R000300030030-3 7 - if 1.1~ SSecurity tussle 1 he Foreign Office is campaign- ing to keep Mr Patrick Wri ht, its man on the Joint Intelligence Committee, as its chairman after implementation of the reform suggested by the Franks Report - - page S urch:1a S~al Wing top By Peter Hennessy The Foreign and Common- wealth Office is fighting a determined campaign to keep Mr Patrick Wright. its man on the Joint Intelligence Com- mittee (JIC), as its chairman after the reform suggested by the Franks report and accepted by the Prime Minister on Tuesday is implemented. If the Foreign Office wins, and Whitehall insiders think it has a chance in spite of Mrs Margaret Thatcher's legendary antipathy towards it as an institution, Mr Wright would chid his other responsibilities, Chirglly as the Foreign Office's link man with the secret intelligence gathering agencies, and move into the Cabinet Office full-time. The JIC and its supporting organizations are Cabinet Office bodies. A second possibility, which inight have attractions for the Prime Minister, is to persuade a retired Whitehall"war-horse", of whose record she approves, to return and do the JIC job. In the past she has summoned Sir Anthony Parsons as her foreign affairs adviser in Downing Street, sent Sir Oliver Wright to the Washington embassy and brought hack Sir Antony' Duff as security and intelligence oordinator in the Cabinet Office. Such a move would accord with advice offered her by Mr Harold Macmillan at the tio r^a `Pug' and a possible heir: Lord Ismay (left) and Nlr Patrick Wright beginning of the Falklands conflict "to find a Pug". The former prime minister had in mind a figure cotnpariblc to the late Lord lsmay (known as "Pug"). Military Secretary to the War Cabinet. 1939-45, who filletted the enormous bulk of intelligence and strategic advice protlered to Sir Winston Chur- chill, and generally acted as his eyes, ears and early warning device. The field of potential Ismays is small, given a candidate's need to possess inside know- ledge of both the producers and consumers of British Intelli- gence. The most obvious choice is Sir Frank Cooper, who retired as Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Defence last month and who is a great favourite of Mrs Thatcher's. Other runners could he Sir Dick Franks, who retired as Director-General of the Secret Intelligence Service MI6. in 1981 or Sir Brooks Richards, former security and intelligence coordinator in the Cabinet Office. The present incumbent of the Word nt;'tor's post, Sir Antony Dull: is highly regarded by the Prime Minister and may be asked to transfi't' and run the new JIC job in, although he is planning to retire in the spring. If Mrs Thatcher follows the prescription of the more radical internal critics of the JIC, whose Co inplainis arc longstanding and predate the Falklands crisis, the shake-up of Whitehall's central intelligence machinery 'ould he profound, Theirjobspccitication is fora powerful indis idual who would keep a close e \e on the present intelligence groups, the engine rooms of the .loint. Intelligence Organi,ation, which teed the JIC, and throur,h it. ministers, with assessments' of what the mass of raw intelligence really means. His, second task would be to improve the JIC's crisis man- agemeirt capability, to stand back from the immediate rush of events to assess longer term significance as ~\cll as advising' on the day-b\-day response. The .1 IC 1 ,61. c\:ample. took quite a time to get a grip on post- Solidarity dc.cfopmcnts in Poland in 1981. The third r?oic the Prime Minister has already conceded: direct, personal access to her at all times. Approved For Release 2007/12/14: CIA-RDP96BO1172R000300030030-3