Secret Files brings together nine series—4,500 files—that reveal day-to-day intelligence activities and how they influenced foreign policy.
At the heart of the collection are the files of the Permanent Undersecretary’s Department, the point of liaison between the Foreign Office and the British intelligence establishment. The documents offer new insights into history from 1873 to 1951—history as seen through an intelligence lens.
At a glance
16,838
...documents covering Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas.
147,000
...pages of previously secret material.
"Perhaps the greatest and most exciting British archival innovation in decades."
A layered look at world history through top secret materials
Joint Intelligence Sub-Committee minutes and reports (CAB 56, 158, 159, 176)
Hitler’s will. German secret weapons. The partition of Palestine. Scientific intelligence on atomic weapons and biological warfare. The growing threat of Nazi Germany. Prisoners of war in the UK, and Allied prisoners in Germany. The spread of communism.
Permanent Undersecretary's Department Papers 1873–1985 (FO 1093)
Covert intelligence, including papers on the imprisonment of Rudolf Hess. Planning for Operation Overlord. Thousands of signals intelligence sent to Churchill during WWII. Correspondence covering the Allied campaign against Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Confidential papers from the Private Office of the Cabinet Secretary, 1936–1952 (CAB 301)
The funding of MI5 and MI6 activities. The organization and funding of the intelligence services. Signals intelligence. Code-breaking. The SOE and the “Set Europe Ablaze” campaign.
"Few resources can be of greater use to the student of 20th century history than easy access to the original documentary evidence of how Britain's foreign policy was shaped by secret intelligence."
1947 scheme for provincial autonomy and ultimate partition in Palestine
For learning
Students will be excited to engage with previously secret primary sources. Additional learning tools include:
Specially commissioned subject essays written by members of the Editorial Board.
A guide to organizations, committees, and subcommittees, including organizations within British intelligence, intelligence services of allied and hostile countries, and international organizations.
A guide to the people—the key military, political, and intelligence figures in Britain and abroad who appear in the files and who played important roles in the events and operations discussed. The list provides a new route into the study of early 20th-century British intelligence, foreign policy, and international relations through some of the most significant personalities in these fields.
For each of the nine-file series included, a description of the content, themes, and topics discussed has been provided by Dr. Stephen Twigge, Head of Modern Collections at The National Archives (UK).
Our editorial board
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