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Original poster

Has anyone met a secret agent or mi5

230 replies

Overwhelmed245 · 17/04/2021 14:18

Has anyone met one like do you suspect your partner to be one etc. obviously I know you hear of woman being told the guy there dating works for mi5 but then find out the guy has two lives and another family

OP posts:
ChiaraRimini · 18/04/2021 16:09

XDH had to have DV clearance for a previous job, which was carried out by MI5. I took a phonecall on the landline for him from the vetting agent who introduced himself in a plummy accent as "Smith, from the MoD". He couldn't have been a more obvious spook, he was probably some low level paper pusher trying to sound impressiveSmile

ExJasper · 18/04/2021 16:14

@2bazookas you'll have to find me first -no easy task while I'm seamlessly blending in 😁

HetHetHet · 18/04/2021 17:15

[quote LifesLittleDeciders]@HetHetHet I believe that once deceased you can request knowledge of their job and they will tell you the truth.[/quote]
Thank you. I think we will try to pursue this if we can. I'm not sure where to start but I'll see if I can find out.

Spyforlife · 18/04/2021 17:44

We do know an ex-spy - obviously only knew he was a spy after he retired - he's not as interesting or as bright as you'd imagine. In fact I couldn't quite believe he was able to keep his mouth shut for years - I guess once he retired and started talking there was no shutting him up.

Handsoffstrikesagain · 18/04/2021 17:51

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

TammyTwoSwanson · 18/04/2021 17:53

No, but once (years ago) a boyfriend thought I was. He got really aggressive, I didn't have a fucking clue what he was accusing me of. We were on a boat at the time, it was really freaky. It didn't help that after the boat trip the police randomly searched us and all our belongings. He honestly thought I was a spy.
Which begged the question, what did he have to hide? Anyway, that was a huge red flag and I ran a mile.

TheRealMrsMorningstar · 18/04/2021 17:57

No. If I had then they would be talking bullshit as I highly suspect those that are actually in that line are very good at not causing people to suspect. Even your gray/boring/pedestrian people are likely not as they have caused you to think they are!

ShoesOnFirstThenCar · 18/04/2021 19:18

DH and I have suspicions about our neighbour. He’s retired now but he and wife have lived in many countries, incl Middle East and Africa. He told us he used to work in telecoms. Quite possibly he did but something about the story makes us think maybe not. Can’t put my finger on it but let’s just say that if it ever comes out that he was a spy of sorts, I would not be shocked.

Queenofbeebers · 18/04/2021 19:32

@ExJasper

I also entertain regularly fantasies that my dh isn't in fact dead but is living a life as a secret agent and will walk in the front door one day. The fact that I was with him when he died is neither here nor there! The nurses could've covered it all up somehow I'm sure!

I really hope this is true for you Flowers

Cactus1982 · 18/04/2021 19:32

Everyone thinks that my mums uncle was a spy. He’s long dead now, but wasn’t allowed to talk about what he did during the war. Afterwards he got a job in London ‘working for the government’ but once again no one really knows what he did.

MagicSummer · 18/04/2021 19:33

Yup - both my uncles were involved with MI5 - something to do with Japan and the Cuban Embassy in London in the 60s. All very hush hush.

CommandoDog · 18/04/2021 19:34

One of the kids at school isn't allowed to say what he dad does. His Dad's a nice guy - more mild mannered Janitor...but we have often wondered.

Curioushorse · 18/04/2021 19:45

Yes. I know several people who work for either MI6, or GCHQ. All are allowed to say that, but not what they do. You can work it out from their degrees though- all maths, or languages. One of the linguists was required to learn another language. She wasn't allowed to say what it was, but she disappeared off for a year and came back with a husband. We're guessing his home country is a big clue.

HOWEVER, I know most of them through school, and one of the MI6 people saw another school friend in their building who definitely had no business being there and is an accountant who works abroad a lot. We have therefore all decided that they are a real spy. It would fit, to be fair. They are trilingual and have a maths degree. They're also really quiet, and although, over the years, we're surreptitiously tried to get them to talk about work, they've always had such a boring story for us that we've all drifted off. The perfect cover.

Octodog · 18/04/2021 20:11

@CommandoDog can guarantee he won't be MI5 if the kid is "not allowed to say".

Handsoffstrikesagain · 18/04/2021 20:12

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Buddywoo · 18/04/2021 20:22

My uncle was in MI5 for many years, he was pretty senior and at one time was head of intelligence in the middle east. We were travelling through the Suez Canal on a liner and he was senior enough to stop it and come on board to see my mother, much to the Captain's annoyance.

He also came out to Uganda where we lived when there was trouble there. He carried a gun, didn't do any work and sat on the verandah drinking beer all day.

When he died Sir Maurice Oldfield, head of MI6, gave the eulogy. He had police protection at the funeral. At the wake afterwards the place was full of intelligence officers who all referred to MI5/6 as 'the office'.

One of the things he did at the end of the war was to interrogate senior nazis. Consequently, he was never allowed to return to Germany because of perceived danger to him.

Springquartet · 18/04/2021 20:28

My mum worked for one of these organists - though not as a spy but in an office job. She didn't tell us at the time and just said that she worked for the MoD - which would provided an excuse for why she had to be positively vetted on application and every couple of years after that. At the time she wasn't allowed to travel to Eastern European countries. I guessed who she worked for from a place that she had mentioned visiting as part of her job.

When she died and I was sorted out her paperwork, I found that she was receiving a pension from the job, but the pay slips provided no contact details, so I didn't know how to let them know. I had to ask one of her ex-colleagues, who confirmed the nature of employment.

Springquartet · 18/04/2021 20:29

I meant organisations!

ExJasper · 18/04/2021 20:32

[quote Queenofbeebers]@ExJasper

I also entertain regularly fantasies that my dh isn't in fact dead but is living a life as a secret agent and will walk in the front door one day. The fact that I was with him when he died is neither here nor there! The nurses could've covered it all up somehow I'm sure!

I really hope this is true for you Flowers[/quote]
@Queenofbeebers that's so lovely of you, thank you. Not happening though - I'm looking at his ashes as we speak!

ExJasper · 18/04/2021 20:32

Well, obviously not actually at the ashes themselves, but what they're kept in!

samthebordercollie · 18/04/2021 20:33

Yes. He can't tell his wife where he is in the world or what he is doing exactly operationally. But suffice to say that there is a lot of waiting about in cars for hours on end and very boring a lot if the time.

Cowbells · 18/04/2021 20:34

I met an absolutely wonderful spy once - but not for any government. She was an environmental spy and posed as a wealthy tourist wanted to buy ivory products then reported the illegal ivory sellers back to the police in the countries she visited so they could crack down on poachers shooting elephants.

ImAlrightThanx · 18/04/2021 20:58

I think most of these are bullshit. Spies have good cover stories, they practice them. If they say they "can't talk about" work, they are not MI5.

And the "friend of a friend" or whatever is also bollox. Spies don't go around telling everybody they are spies, they are not even allowed to discuss it with anybody but very close family.

newnortherner111 · 18/04/2021 21:00

Work colleagues have suspected me!

mycatisawesome · 18/04/2021 21:02

My Grandad was a member of SOE in WW2 , spoke several languages , carried out assignments in Europe .His sister was still living in Europe and was part of the French Resistance