DOCUMENTS passed by MI5 to James MacGibbon’s family reveal that the security services had found out about his contacts with the Russians and placed him under surveillance after the war.

In 1950, he received an unexpected visit from a British agent, who informed him that MI5 knew about his activities. “He stayed for about an hour,” said MacGibbon. “I denied everything, assuring him that the Russians could only have wanted to see me because I had been a CP (Communist Party) member.”

The MI5 files show that his telephone was tapped, and his house in St John’s Wood watched from December 1949 to 1953. The record shows that this information was given to a member of the security services by an informer within the Communist Party who knew MacGibbon.

The informer reported that, after returning to Britain, MacGibbon had been offered £2,000 by the Soviet Embassy for “services rendered” and was asked to continue to provide information. MacGibbon refused. Having left the Army he had no more information to give. He was interrogated on two occasions in 1950. Both interviews, the second by Jim Skardon, “produced robust denials” by MacGibbon and his wife, Jean.

The official records include bugged conversations between MacGibbon and his wife discussing whom they could approach for advice about these allegations, their main concern being to stop Soviet agents’ approaches.

“What I did during the war was something very special,” he is recorded as saying to Jean at one point. “The idea I am (involved) with some kind of Russian spy organisation is just something too silly.”

In addition to putting a “tail” on MacGibbon, and tapping his phone, it appears that most if not all of the incoming correspondence to their address was opened and photographed (including a letter from their young daughter’s uncle enclosing a pound note for her birthday – both copied). None of this mail revealed anything suspicious.

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