George Kennedy Young
Encyclopedia
George Kennedy Young, CB
, MBE
, M.A.
(1911, Dumfriesshire
– 1990, London
) was a deputy director of MI6, and later involved in British right-wing politics. He was also a merchant banker.
George K.Young attended St. Andrews University, Dijon University, University of Giessen
, and Yale University
. He was commissioned (1940) as an officer in the King's Own Scottish Borderers
regiment but later transferred to British Intelligence, where he became an expert in the methods of the Italian Fascist police system and those of the German secret services.
Before World War II
he was on the editorial staff of the Glasgow Herald, and after the war he joined the Foreign Office, serving in diplomatic posts in Vienna
, the Middle East
, and, from 1953, in Whitehall — where he specialised in economic and defence intelligence work. His dissatisfaction with the Macmillan government led him to resign as Deputy of MI6 in 1961 and enter merchant banking.
In his book Inside Intelligence, Anthony Cavendish, a friend and colleague of Young, includes a seventeen-page summary of Young's career (Young also wrote the foreword for this book). According to Cavendish, Young's intelligence career started in World War II. He was employed first in Africa and later in Italy and North West Europe where his work involved 'playing back' captured enemy agents as channels for disinformation.
Following the war, after a brief return to journalism, Young returned to the Secret Intelligence Service ("SIS") as head of its Vienna station, where he was involved in running agents in south east Europe. In 1949 he was made head of SIS's economic requirements section (R6), their point of contact with the Treasury, the Board of Trade and the Bank of England. In 1951 he was appointed controller of SIS operations in the 'Middle East Area' which streched from Morocco to Afghanistan down to Ethiopia. Here he became involved in implementing the Anglo American decision to remove the Iranian leader Mossadeq and reinstate the Shah. According to Cavendish the Shah later said of Young that, "In times of crisis he is a man who can take decisions and throw caution to the winds. Young is a man who believes that friendship cuts both ways and that Britain should stand by her friends even at the risk of offending others."
In 1953 Young was recalled to London to take over as SIS Director of Requirements and in 1956, during the Suez crisis, he was again put in charge of Middle East Operations. In 1959 he was appointed Vice Chief of the Secret Service. He finally left the service in 1961.
G.K. (as he was popularly referred to) subsequently became Chairman of the Society for Individual Freedom
. He was also an early and leading member of the Conservative Monday Club
serving on several of its policy committees (Chairman of the Action Fund 1967-69), (Chairman, Economics Committee), and Executive Council. He was virulently opposed to immigration
and helped found the Club's immigration committee. After losing an acrimonious election for the position of Club chairman to Jonathan Guinness in 1974 in which he had been supported by the British National Front
, he set up another far-right group called Tory Action
.
In 1976, Young, assisted by Frederic Bennett, created the private army 'Unison.'
It has been suggested that he was closely associated with alleged attempts to undermine the Labour government of Harold Wilson
in the mid-1970s, and that he regarded the Tory government of Edward Heath
to be virtually socialist. He was a supporter of Enoch Powell
's tough line on immigration into the UK.
Young gave his views on the role of the spy in a circular issued during the late fifties (quoted by George Blake).
"In the press, in Parliament, in the United Nations, from the pulpit, there is a ceaseless talk about the rule of law, civilised relations between nations, the spread of democratic processes, self-determination and national sovereignty, respect for the rights of man and human dignity.
'The reality, we all know perfectly well is quite the opposite and consists of an ever-increasing spread of lawlessness, disregard of human contract, cruelty and corruption. The nuclear stalemate is matched by the moral stalemate.
'It is the spy who has been called on to remedy the situation created by the deficiencies of ministers, diplomats, generals and priests.
'Men's minds are shaped of course by their environments and we spies, although we have our professional mystique, do perhaps live closer the realities and hard facts of international relations than other practitioners of government. We are relatively free of the problems of status, of precedence, departmental attitudes and evasions of personal responsibility, which create the official cast of mind. We do not have to develop, like Parliamentarians conditioned by a lifetime, the ability to produce the ready phrase, the smart reply and the flashing smile. And so it is not surprising these days that the spy finds himself the main guardian of intellectual integrity."
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, M.A.
Master of Arts (Scotland)
A Master of Arts in Scotland can refer to an undergraduate academic degree in humanities and social sciences awarded by the ancient universities of Scotland – the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh, while the University of...
(1911, Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
– 1990, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was a deputy director of MI6, and later involved in British right-wing politics. He was also a merchant banker.
George K.Young attended St. Andrews University, Dijon University, University of Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
, and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He was commissioned (1940) as an officer in the King's Own Scottish Borderers
King's Own Scottish Borderers
The King's Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division.-History:It was raised on 18 March 1689 by the Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James II. It is said that 800 men were recruited within the space of two hours...
regiment but later transferred to British Intelligence, where he became an expert in the methods of the Italian Fascist police system and those of the German secret services.
Before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was on the editorial staff of the Glasgow Herald, and after the war he joined the Foreign Office, serving in diplomatic posts in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and, from 1953, in Whitehall — where he specialised in economic and defence intelligence work. His dissatisfaction with the Macmillan government led him to resign as Deputy of MI6 in 1961 and enter merchant banking.
In his book Inside Intelligence, Anthony Cavendish, a friend and colleague of Young, includes a seventeen-page summary of Young's career (Young also wrote the foreword for this book). According to Cavendish, Young's intelligence career started in World War II. He was employed first in Africa and later in Italy and North West Europe where his work involved 'playing back' captured enemy agents as channels for disinformation.
Following the war, after a brief return to journalism, Young returned to the Secret Intelligence Service ("SIS") as head of its Vienna station, where he was involved in running agents in south east Europe. In 1949 he was made head of SIS's economic requirements section (R6), their point of contact with the Treasury, the Board of Trade and the Bank of England. In 1951 he was appointed controller of SIS operations in the 'Middle East Area' which streched from Morocco to Afghanistan down to Ethiopia. Here he became involved in implementing the Anglo American decision to remove the Iranian leader Mossadeq and reinstate the Shah. According to Cavendish the Shah later said of Young that, "In times of crisis he is a man who can take decisions and throw caution to the winds. Young is a man who believes that friendship cuts both ways and that Britain should stand by her friends even at the risk of offending others."
In 1953 Young was recalled to London to take over as SIS Director of Requirements and in 1956, during the Suez crisis, he was again put in charge of Middle East Operations. In 1959 he was appointed Vice Chief of the Secret Service. He finally left the service in 1961.
G.K. (as he was popularly referred to) subsequently became Chairman of the Society for Individual Freedom
Society for Individual Freedom
The Society for Individual Freedom is a United Kingdom-based association of libertarians, classical liberals, free-market conservatives and others promoting individual freedom....
. He was also an early and leading member of the Conservative Monday Club
Conservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
serving on several of its policy committees (Chairman of the Action Fund 1967-69), (Chairman, Economics Committee), and Executive Council. He was virulently opposed to immigration
Opposition to immigration
Opposition to immigration is present in most nation-states with immigration, and has become a significant political issue in many countries. Immigration in the modern sense refers to movement of people from one nation-state to another, where they are not citizens. It is important to distinguish...
and helped found the Club's immigration committee. After losing an acrimonious election for the position of Club chairman to Jonathan Guinness in 1974 in which he had been supported by the British National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
, he set up another far-right group called Tory Action
Tory Action
Tory Action was a right-wing pressure group within the British Conservative Party, founded by in November 1974 by George Kennedy Young and Airey Neave and right-wing defectors from the Monday Club.-Activities:...
.
In 1976, Young, assisted by Frederic Bennett, created the private army 'Unison.'
It has been suggested that he was closely associated with alleged attempts to undermine the Labour government of Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
in the mid-1970s, and that he regarded the Tory government of Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
to be virtually socialist. He was a supporter of Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
's tough line on immigration into the UK.
Young gave his views on the role of the spy in a circular issued during the late fifties (quoted by George Blake).
"In the press, in Parliament, in the United Nations, from the pulpit, there is a ceaseless talk about the rule of law, civilised relations between nations, the spread of democratic processes, self-determination and national sovereignty, respect for the rights of man and human dignity.
'The reality, we all know perfectly well is quite the opposite and consists of an ever-increasing spread of lawlessness, disregard of human contract, cruelty and corruption. The nuclear stalemate is matched by the moral stalemate.
'It is the spy who has been called on to remedy the situation created by the deficiencies of ministers, diplomats, generals and priests.
'Men's minds are shaped of course by their environments and we spies, although we have our professional mystique, do perhaps live closer the realities and hard facts of international relations than other practitioners of government. We are relatively free of the problems of status, of precedence, departmental attitudes and evasions of personal responsibility, which create the official cast of mind. We do not have to develop, like Parliamentarians conditioned by a lifetime, the ability to produce the ready phrase, the smart reply and the flashing smile. And so it is not surprising these days that the spy finds himself the main guardian of intellectual integrity."
Publications
- Young, George K., Masters of Indecision, Methuen, London, 1962.
- Young, George K., Merchant Banking - Practice & Prospects, London, 1966.
- Young, George K., Finance and World Power, London, 1968.
- Young, George K., Who Goes Home, Monday Club, London, May 1969, (P/B).
- Young, George K., Who is My Liege - Loyalty and Betrayal in our Time, London, 1972.
- Young, George K., Subversion and the British Riposte, Ossian, Glasgow, 1984, ISBN 0-947621-02-4
- Young, George K., The Final Testimony of George Kennedy Young, published Lobster Magazine 19, 1990 http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/issue19.php