John Nicholas Rede Elliott
Encyclopedia
John Nicholas Rede Elliott (born London
, 15 November 1916; died London, 13 April 1994) was an MI6 Intelligence Officer; Honorary Attache
, The Hague
1938-40; Acting Lieutenant, Intelligence Corps 1940-45; Head of Station, Secret Intelligence Service, Berne
1945-53, Vienna
1953-56, London 1956-60, Beirut
1960-62, a director 1963-69; executive director, Lonrho 1969-73. He was awarded the US
Legion of Merit
for his services to the office of strategic services.
His MI6 career was notable for his involvement with the Commander Lionel Crabb
affair in the 1950s and the flight of traitor Kim Philby
to Moscow
in 1963.
, a don
at Cambridge, who became a successful and popular Headmaster at Eton where Nicholas was sent after a fairly horrific experience at Durnford School
, a notoriously spartan and uncomfortable preparatory school on the Isle of Purbeck
in Dorset
.
After leaving Trinity College, Cambridge
, Elliott was offered a post in 1938 as Honorary Attache at The Hague
by Sir Neville Bland. His career in secret intelligence came by chance, like many before and after him. Sir Hugh Sinclair
, Head of MI6, happened to visit The Hague, took to Elliott and offered him a job.
In 1943 he married Elizabeth Holberton (one son, and one daughter, deceased).
and the flight of traitor Kim Philby
to Moscow
. Elliott and the Service suffered criticism in both cases and he felt this deeply to the end of his life.
In 1956, during Khrushchev's
visit to Britain, the Soviet Sverdlov class cruiser
Ordzhonikidze
lay in Portsmouth
harbour. The Royal Navy
was vitally interested in certain equipment carried under the stern. Elliott arranged for Crabb, an experienced ex-naval frogman
, to investigate. He made one successful run under the ship, came back for an extra pound of weight for his next attempt and never returned. It seems probable that Crabb was no longer fit enough or it could be that his equipment failed. There is no reason to doubt Elliott's account of what happened (in his memoir With My Little Eye) and he deeply resented subsequent criticism of Crabb, whom he knew as a brave and honourable officer and a holder of the George Medal
, who had undertaken successful operations of this kind before.
The Russians, who had reported a diver in trouble near the stern, were in no way discountenanced, did not complain, and were not responsible for Crabb's death. In any case, they regarded espionage as an inevitable extension of international relations. But by mischance the matter leaked. Prime Minister
Anthony Eden
protested that he had not been informed and thus ensured the maximum adverse publicity. Elliott had been given every reason to believe the operation had been cleared by the Foreign Office.
Later, in With My Little Eye, Elliott gives an account of his last contacts with Kim Philby
, in 1963. Philby, with whom Elliott had worked in Beirut, had been a friend, and Elliott felt his betrayal bitterly. He volunteered to confront Philby, in an effort to obtain a full written confession of his espionage. Though Philby did confess in person to Elliott, he delayed signing a written confession and, instead, immediately fled to Moscow, where he was granted Soviet citizenship. Public criticism of MI6, which had failed to guard against his escape, was significant. However, it is unlikely that Elliott could have prevented his flight from Beirut.
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...
, 15 November 1916; died London, 13 April 1994) was an MI6 Intelligence Officer; Honorary Attache
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
1938-40; Acting Lieutenant, Intelligence Corps 1940-45; Head of Station, Secret Intelligence Service, Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
1945-53, 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...
1953-56, London 1956-60, Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
1960-62, a director 1963-69; executive director, Lonrho 1969-73. He was awarded the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
for his services to the office of strategic services.
His MI6 career was notable for his involvement with the Commander Lionel Crabb
Lionel Crabb
Lionel "Buster" Crabb OBE, GM was a British Royal Navy frogman and MI6 diver who vanished during a reconnaissance mission around a Soviet cruiser in 1956.-Early life:...
affair in the 1950s and the flight of traitor Kim Philby
Kim Philby
Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby was a high-ranking member of British intelligence who worked as a spy for and later defected to the Soviet Union...
to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1963.
Personal life
Elliott was the son of Claude Aurelius ElliottClaude Aurelius Elliott
Sir Claude Aurelius Elliott OBE, MA, was Head Master of Eton College at Windsor in Berkshire, and was later Provost at the same school.-Early life:...
, a don
University don
A don is a fellow or tutor of a college or university, especially traditional collegiate universities such as Oxford and Cambridge in England.The term — similar to the title still used for Catholic priests — is a historical remnant of Oxford and Cambridge having started as ecclesiastical...
at Cambridge, who became a successful and popular Headmaster at Eton where Nicholas was sent after a fairly horrific experience at Durnford School
Durnford School
Durnford School was a notoriously spartan and uncomfortable preparatory school which opened in 1894 on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset. The school occupied Durnford House, in High Street in the village of Langton Matravers near Swanage...
, a notoriously spartan and uncomfortable preparatory school on the Isle of Purbeck
Isle of Purbeck
The Isle of Purbeck, not a true island but a peninsula, is in the county of Dorset, England. It is bordered by the English Channel to the south and east, where steep cliffs fall to the sea; and by the marshy lands of the River Frome and Poole Harbour to the north. Its western boundary is less well...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
.
After leaving Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Elliott was offered a post in 1938 as Honorary Attache at The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
by Sir Neville Bland. His career in secret intelligence came by chance, like many before and after him. Sir Hugh Sinclair
Hugh Sinclair
Admiral Sir Hugh Francis Paget Sinclair KCB , nicknamed "Quex", was a British intelligence officer. Between 1919 and 1921, he was Director of British Naval Intelligence, and helped to set up the Secret Intelligence Service before the Second World War.-Career:Sinclair joined the Royal Navy in the...
, Head of MI6, happened to visit The Hague, took to Elliott and offered him a job.
In 1943 he married Elizabeth Holberton (one son, and one daughter, deceased).
Intelligence career
His distinguished career was publicly and unluckily marked by two notorious events, the death of Commander Lionel CrabbLionel Crabb
Lionel "Buster" Crabb OBE, GM was a British Royal Navy frogman and MI6 diver who vanished during a reconnaissance mission around a Soviet cruiser in 1956.-Early life:...
and the flight of traitor Kim Philby
Kim Philby
Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby was a high-ranking member of British intelligence who worked as a spy for and later defected to the Soviet Union...
to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Elliott and the Service suffered criticism in both cases and he felt this deeply to the end of his life.
In 1956, during Khrushchev's
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
visit to Britain, the Soviet Sverdlov class cruiser
Sverdlov class cruiser
The Sverdlov class cruisers, Soviet designation Project 68bis, were the last conventional cruisers built for the Soviet Navy; 13 ships were completed before Nikita Khrushchev called a halt to the programme as these ships were considered obsolescent with the advent of the guided missile...
Ordzhonikidze
Ordzhonikidze
Ordzhonikidze may refer to:People:*Grigoriy Ordzhonikidze , a Georgian Bolshevik and Soviet political leader*Sergei Ordzhonikidze, a Russian diplomat*Iosif Ordzhonikidze , a mayor of Moscow...
lay in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
harbour. The Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
was vitally interested in certain equipment carried under the stern. Elliott arranged for Crabb, an experienced ex-naval frogman
Frogman
A frogman is someone who is trained to scuba diving or swim underwater in a military capacity which can include combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver or combatant diver or combat swimmer....
, to investigate. He made one successful run under the ship, came back for an extra pound of weight for his next attempt and never returned. It seems probable that Crabb was no longer fit enough or it could be that his equipment failed. There is no reason to doubt Elliott's account of what happened (in his memoir With My Little Eye) and he deeply resented subsequent criticism of Crabb, whom he knew as a brave and honourable officer and a holder of the George Medal
George Medal
The George Medal is the second level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.The GM was instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI. At this time, during the height of The Blitz, there was a strong desire to reward the many acts of civilian courage...
, who had undertaken successful operations of this kind before.
The Russians, who had reported a diver in trouble near the stern, were in no way discountenanced, did not complain, and were not responsible for Crabb's death. In any case, they regarded espionage as an inevitable extension of international relations. But by mischance the matter leaked. Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
protested that he had not been informed and thus ensured the maximum adverse publicity. Elliott had been given every reason to believe the operation had been cleared by the Foreign Office.
Later, in With My Little Eye, Elliott gives an account of his last contacts with Kim Philby
Kim Philby
Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby was a high-ranking member of British intelligence who worked as a spy for and later defected to the Soviet Union...
, in 1963. Philby, with whom Elliott had worked in Beirut, had been a friend, and Elliott felt his betrayal bitterly. He volunteered to confront Philby, in an effort to obtain a full written confession of his espionage. Though Philby did confess in person to Elliott, he delayed signing a written confession and, instead, immediately fled to Moscow, where he was granted Soviet citizenship. Public criticism of MI6, which had failed to guard against his escape, was significant. However, it is unlikely that Elliott could have prevented his flight from Beirut.