Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chief of theSecret Intelligence Service (MI6) |
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 Sir Richard Moore since 2 October 2020 |
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| Secret Intelligence Service | |
| Abbreviation | C |
| Reports to | Foreign Secretary |
| Appointer | Foreign Secretary |
| Constituting instrument | Intelligence Services Act 1994 |
| Formation | 1909 |
| First holder | Captain Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming |
| Succession | Blaise Metreweli |
| Salary | £169,999 (2010) |
The Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service is the top leader of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). You might know this spy agency by its more famous name, MI6. MI6 is a key part of the United Kingdom intelligence community, which works to keep the country safe.
The Chief is chosen by the Foreign Secretary, a high-ranking government official. The Chief reports directly to the Foreign Secretary and also gives updates to the Prime Minister.
A famous tradition is that the Chief signs documents with the letter "C" in green ink. This started with the very first Chief, Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming, who used his last initial. Ever since, the head of MI6 has been known simply as "C".
Contents
History of the Chief
Why was MI6 created?
Before 1909, the British government's spying and intelligence work was handled by different groups, including the Foreign Office, the Army, and the Navy. But as tensions grew with other countries like Germany, the government decided it needed a single, organized group to lead intelligence gathering.
This led to the creation of the Secret Service Bureau in 1909. This new agency would protect the country by gathering secret information from abroad.
The First "C"
The first person chosen to lead the foreign section of this new bureau was a Navy commander named Mansfield Smith-Cumming. He officially started his new job in October 1909.
Chief Cumming started many traditions that continue today. The most famous one is signing his name as "C" with green ink. This became the codename for every Chief who came after him.
Keeping the Chief a Secret
For a very long time, the British government did not officially admit that MI6 or its Chief even existed. It was an "open secret"—many people knew about it, but it was never confirmed.
In 1932, a writer named Compton MacKenzie was fined for revealing secrets in his book. One of his "crimes" was mentioning the "mysterious consonant" (the letter C) used by the head of the Secret Service.
However, by the 1960s, newspapers began to openly name former Chiefs. The government finally made the agency's existence official with the Intelligence Services Act in 1994. This law officially established the Secret Intelligence Service and the position of its Chief.
Since then, the role has become more public. The Chief is still the only member of MI6 whose identity is officially revealed to the public.
List of Chiefs
Here is a list of all the people who have served as "C" since MI6 was founded.
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Term of office | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | Captain Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming (1859–1923) |
7 October 1909 | 14 June 1923 † | 13 years, 250 days | ||
| 2 | Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair (1873–1939) |
1923 | 4 November 1939 † | 15–16 years | ||
| 3 | Major-General Sir Stewart Menzies (1890–1968) |
1939 | 1952 | 13–14 years | ||
| 4 | Major-General Sir John Sinclair (1897–1977) |
1953 | 1956 | 2–3 years | ||
| 5 | Sir Richard White (1906–1993) |
1956 | 1968 | 11–12 years | ||
| 6 | Sir John Rennie (1914–1981) |
1968 | 1973 | 4–5 years | ||
| 7 | Sir Maurice Oldfield (1915–1981) |
1973 | 1978 | 4–5 years | ||
| 8 | Sir Arthur (Dickie) Franks (1920–2008) |
1979 | 1982 | 2–3 years | ||
| 9 | Sir Colin Figures (1925–2006) |
1982 | 1985 | 2–3 years | ||
| 10 | Sir Christopher Curwen (1929–2013) |
1985 | 1989 | 3–4 years | ||
| 11 | Sir Colin McColl (born 1932) |
1989 | 1994 | 4–5 years | ||
| 12 | Sir David Spedding (1943–2001) |
1994 | 1999 | 4–5 years | ||
| 13 | Sir Richard Dearlove (born 1945) |
1999 | 6 May 2004 | 4–5 years | ||
| 14 | Sir John Scarlett (born 1948) |
6 May 2004 | 1 November 2009 | 5 years, 179 days | ||
| 15 | Sir John Sawers (born 1955) |
1 November 2009 | 1 November 2014 | 5 years, 0 days | ||
| 16 | Sir Alex Younger (born 1963) |
1 November 2014 | 30 September 2020 | 5 years, 334 days | ||
| 17 | Sir Richard Moore (born 1963) |
1 October 2020 | Incumbent ‒30 September 2025 |
4 years, 260 days | ||
| 18 | Blaise Metreweli (born 1977) |
1 October 2025 | Designate | −105 days | ||
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See also
In Spanish: Jefe del Servicio Secreto de Inteligencia para niños
- Director General of MI5 - The head of the UK's domestic security service.
- Director of the Government Communications Headquarters - The leader of the UK's signals intelligence agency.
- M (James Bond) - The fictional head of MI6 in the James Bond movies, inspired by the real-life "C".
