"Christmas tree" files
From the 1930s until the 1980s, the BBC kept a number of clandestine files on applicants accused by MI5 of political subversion, in particular those deemed to be communists or fellow travellers of communism. These were marked with a distinctive upwards-facing green arrow, which bore resemblance to a Christmas tree and had the effect of blacklisting a number of applicants to BBC roles. Knowledge of these files were made public in 1985 after being reported on by The Observer; by this time, the practice had ceased, but a number of files remained. These were destroyed in the 1990s following the end of the Cold War.
Process
From the late 1930s until 1984, MI5 stationed an intelligence officer at the BBC to vet editorial applicants. During World War II, those deemed to be political subversives, in particular suspected communists or fellow travellers of communism, were banned from working at the BBC. The personnel records of anyone suspicious were stamped with the legend "SECRET", a distinctively shaped green upward-facing arrow resembling a Christmas tree;[1] only a handful of BBC staff knew what the tag meant.[2] The practice was done in secret and was publicly denied until it became public knowledge when The Observer wrote on the practice in 1985. The officer in charge of vetting at this time was Ronnie Stonham.[3]
The "Christmas tree" practice was dropped in 1984.[4] One reason why the Christmas tree symbol was used may have been the fact that the tune of the Christmas carol "O Tannenbaum" is the same as that of "The Red Flag",[5] although this was coincidental; the "Christmas tree" symbols were arrows, indicating that an individual's file should be referred to a higher level.[6] Michael Hodder, who worked for the vetting unit in the 1980s, told The Times that all files were destroyed in the early 1990s as the Cold War ended.[7]
Categories
- Category A: MI5 "advises that the candidate should not be employed in a post offering direct opportunity to influence broadcast material for a subversive purpose."
- Category B: MI5 "advised" against employment "unless it is decided that other considerations are overriding".
- Category C: The individual should not be debarred unless the post gave "exceptional opportunity" for subversive activity.
The BBC's policy was to not employ someone in Category A, although this did happen sometimes.[4]
Organizations on the blacklist
- The Communist Party of Great Britain
- The Socialist Workers Party
- The Workers Revolutionary Party
- The Militant tendency
- The National Front
- The British National Party
Membership of these groups was not necessary for blacklisting; guilt by association was assumed.[4]
People who underwent vetting
In 1940, Hugh Greene – who later became Director-General of the BBC – was one of the first to undergo its security vetting, as MI5 mistakenly suspected Greene was a communist.[1] Other people who underwent vetting and gained the "Christmas tree" tag on their file included:
See also
- BBC controversies – Outline of controversies about the BBC
- Orwell's list – Potential Stalin sympathisers secretly identified by George Orwell
- Executive Order 9835 – 1947 order by President Harry S. Truman
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Mark Hollingsworth and Richard Norton-Taylor Blacklist: The Inside Story of Political Vetting, London: Hogarth, 1988, p. 103. The relevant extract from the book is here
- ^ a b c Smith, David (5 March 2006). "BBC banned communists in purge". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c d e f g Leigh, David; Lashmar, Paul (18 August 1985). "The Blacklist in Room 105. Revealed: How MI5 vets BBC staff". The Observer. p. 9.
- ^ a b c "The vetting files: How the BBC kept out 'subversives'". BBC News. 22 April 2018.
- ^ Thomas, Colin (23 April 2017). "Letters: Mike Fentiman obituary". The Guardian.
- ^ QI. Series K, Episode 14. (Kris Kringle). Hosted by Stephen Fry; guests include Jo Brand, Phill Jupitus and Brendan O'Carroll. Released 24 December 2020. "The reason people thought it might be a Christmas tree was [because of the tune of 'O Tannenbaum' being the same as 'The Red Flag'] ... it isn't actually the reason ... it's actually just two arrows, meaning 'refer upstairs'".
- ^ Spence, Alex (12 August 2014). "Secret MI5 files on BBC staff 'were shredded when Cold War ended'". The Times.
- ^ Paul Gambaccini: The BBC marked me out for being gay. The Daily Telegraph. 23 July 2013.
- ^ Hoffrogge, Ralf (10 July 2017). A Jewish Communist in Weimar Germany: The Life of Werner Scholem (1895–1940). BRILL. p. 588. ISBN 978-90-04-33726-8.