Politics · United Kingdom · 3 hrs ago
MI5 monitored NHS founder Nye Bevan for nearly three decades
MI5 monitored Nye Bevan from 1933 until his death in 1960, newly released British files show.
The Welsh politician was a committed socialist and a prominent critic of Winston Churchill’s wartime government.
MI5 suspected Bevan was a Communist sympathiser because of his political links.
The agency tracked his parliamentary work, movements and meetings outside Parliament.
Its investigations found that Communist groups had failed to draw him into working with them.
After the war, Bevan became health minister and is credited with founding the state-funded NHS in 1948.
The National Archives has now made the secret files public, along with other MI5 records.
MI5 monitored NHS founder Nye Bevan from 1933 until his death in 1960, according to newly released files.
The agency watched his parliamentary activities, movements and meetings because of suspected links to communists and his political views.
The files indicate that communist and Trotskyist groups tried to recruit Bevan, but he did not work with them.
Bevan became health minister after the Second World War and is credited with founding the state-funded NHS in 1948.
A review of his MI5 file two years after his death called it “remarkably tame.”
- Who
- MI5 monitored Nye Bevan, a Welsh Labour politician and founder of the NHS.
- What
- The agency kept a file on him and watched his activities, movements and meetings.
- When
- From 1933 until his death in 1960.
- Where
- Britain; the National Archives in London released the files.
- Why
- MI5 suspected links to the Communist Party and was concerned about his political views. The files indicate that attempts by communist and Trotskyist groups to enlist him were unsuccessful.
MI5
Nye Bevan
Reason for scrutiny
MI5
MI5 suspected Bevan had communist sympathies and monitored him.
Nye Bevan
Bevan said, “They were not spying on Hitler, they were spying on me.
Assessment of his associations
MI5
MI5 investigated his links to the Communist Party.
Nye Bevan
A 1955 note said communist and Trotskyist attempts to get him to work with them had failed.
MI5 began monitoring Bevan, according to files released by the National Archives.
Bevan became health minister and is credited with founding the state-funded NHS.
An MI5 note said communist and Trotskyist groups had tried to enlist Bevan without success.
Bevan died, ending the period of MI5 monitoring described in the files.
A review of his MI5 case file called it “remarkably tame.
- Monitoring period
- 1933–1960
- NHS founded
- 1948
- MI5 note on recruitment attempts
- 1955
- Bevan’s death
- 1960
- Case-file review
- 1962
3 sources
Britain's MI5 spied on NHS founder Bevan, secret documents show
'Father of the NHS' and Labour icon Nye Bevan was monitored by MI5 for decades for signs of Soviet sympathies while leaders feared party was riddled with Communists, secret files show
Aneurin Bevan’s personal security file was ‘remarkably tame’ – National Archives
What people are saying
They were not spying on Hitler, they were spying on me.
Considering what a controversial character Nye Bevan was, the file is remarkably tame.