John Alexander Symonds
Encyclopedia
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
agent
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
. He was born in the Soke of Peterborough
Soke of Peterborough
The Soke of Peterborough is an historic area of England that is traditionally associated with the City and Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire...
, and was Commissioned in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
from 1953-56. He joined the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
in 1956, becoming a Detective Sergeant at New Scotland Yard, until 1972 when he fled the UK while facing charges of corruption
Police corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
.
Between 1972-80 he was a KGB agent employed as a "Romeo spy" with the codename SKOT. The role he was allocated by his Soviet masters was the seduction of women working in Western embassies with the aim of obtaining secrets.
In the 1980s Symonds had revealed himself as a spy to the police and security services, and appeared on the front page of the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
(1985) and in the News on Sunday
News on Sunday
The News on Sunday was a left-wing British tabloid newspaper. It was launched in April 1987. Publication ceased seven months later, in November 1987.-Origins:...
(1987) but was dismissed as "a fantasist". It was only with the defection of Major Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Nikitich Mitrokhin was a Major and senior archivist for the Soviet Union's foreign intelligence service, the First Chief Directorate of the KGB, and co-author with Christopher Andrew of The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West, a massive account of Soviet intelligence...
in 1992, and the subsequent publication of the Mitrokhin Archive
Mitrokhin Archive
The Mitrokhin Archive is a collection of notes made secretly by KGB Major Vasili Mitrokhin during his thirty years as a KGB archivist in the foreign intelligence service and the First Chief Directorate...
in 1999, where Symonds was named as a spy for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, that his claim gained credence.
Symonds was never prosecuted for any offence related to espionage or spying, and was never interviewed by MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
or MI6. It was confirmed that Symonds was not being prosecuted for any charge because he had been offered immunity by the Director of Public Prosecutions
Director of Public Prosecutions
The Director of Public Prosecutions is the officer charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world...
office in 1984 in connection with a criminal inquiry. This was granted in relation to police corruption inquiries, stated by Symonds to be Operation Countryman
Operation Countryman
Operation Countryman was a wide-ranging investigation into police corruption within the Metropolitan Police Service in London from 1978-1984. After being initially established to investigate allegations of corruption in the City of London Police, the main investigation was soon shifted to...
.
The publication of Mitrokhin's material launched a parliamentary inquiry by the Intelligence and Security Committee
Intelligence and Security Committee
The Intelligence and Security Committee is a committee of parliamentarians appointed by the Prime Minister to oversee the work of the Intelligence machinery of the United Kingdom...
. Its report when published referred to the lack of interest shown by the security services to Symonds case:-
The Committee believes that it was a serious failure of the Security Service not to refer Mr Symonds' case to the Law Officers in mid 1993. We are concerned that it took over 9 months to consult the Law Officers after he was identified in the draft book. We believe that the Service could have interviewed Mr Symonds, at least for the intelligence and historical record.
Police Corruption
In 1969 after having been a police officer for 15 years John Alexander Symonds was one of three officers charged with corruption following a newspaper investigation into bribery at Scotland Yard. He skipped bail and fled to Morocco. Symonds claimed later that he had been 'fitted up' and forced to leave under pain of death after having threatened to expose during any trial "the endemic and systemic corruptionSystemic corruption
Systemic corruption is corruption which is primarily due to a weaknesses of an organisation or process.It can be contrasted with individual officials or agents who act corruptly within the system....
within the Metropolitan Police service" at the time.
Mercenary
In Morocco Symonds served as a mercenary, making use of his police experience and Army expertise to train African troops to use the 25-pounder howitzerhowitzerHowitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
, an artillery piece that was, by that time, obsolete by British Army standards and had been sold off as surplus to several African countries.
It was at this point that Symonds had effectively been recruited by the KGB.
'Romeo Spy' the movie
Prodigy Pictures are in the pre-production stage of making a movie based on the autobiography of John Symonds. A script has been completed and Daniel Craig and Jude Law are being considered to play the lead role.External links
- Romeo Spy Blog the blog of John Alexander Symonds
- BBC Special Report at the time of the release of the Mitrokhin Archive, 13 September 1999
- City man was spy for KGB a local newspaper report published in the Rutland & Stamford Mercury on 13 September 1999
- Intelligence and Security Committee - The Mitrokhin Enquiry Report
- Reply from the Solicitor General on the Mitrokhin Archive, 20 December 1999
- John Symonds and others escape prosecution, 21 December 1999
- Judge's Summing Up complete text by Judge at the end of Symonds' trial
- Nigel West Keynote Speech Nigel West talks about John Symonds at the Raleigh Spy Conference