John Alexander Symonds

John Alexander Symonds (born July 13 1935) was a British KGB agent. He was born in the Soke of Peterborough, and was Commissioned in the Royal Artillery from 1953-56. He joined the Metropolitan Police in 1956, becoming a Detective Sergeant at New Scotland Yard, until 1972.

Between 1972-80 he was a KGB agent employed as a "Romeo spy" with the codename SKOT. The role he was allocated by his Soviet masters was the seduction of women working in Western embassies with the aim of obtaining secrets. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/09/99/britain_betrayed/446221.stm |title=The 'Romeo' spy |accessdate=2008-01-12]

In the 1980s Symonds had revealed himself as a spy to the police and security services, and appeared on the front page of the Daily Express (1985) and in the News on Sunday (1987) but was ignored. It was only with the defection of Major Vasili Mitrokhin in 1992, and the subsequent publication of the Mitrokhin Archive in 1999, where Symonds was named as a spy for the Soviet Union, that his claim gained credence. Mitrokhin being the senior archivist for the First Chief Directorate of the KGB and his defection with an archive a major coup for British Intelligence.

Symonds was never prosecuted for any offence related to espionage or spying, and was never interviewed by MI5 or MI6. It was confirmed that Mr Symonds was not being prosecuted for any charge because he had been offered immunity by the Director of Public Prosecutions office in 1984 in connection with a criminal inquiry. [cite web |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article165261.ece |title=The spy who came in from the past escapes prosecution |accessdate=2008-01-12] [cite web |url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmhansrd/vo991220/text/91220w01.htm |title=Written Answers to Questions - SOLICITOR-GENERAL - Mitrokhin Archive |accessdate=2008-01-12] This related to his assistance with an investigation into the institutionalised corruption of the Metropolitan Police Service, Operation Countryman. [cite web |url=http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm47/4764/4764-02.htm |title=Intelligence and Security Committee - The Mitrokhin Inquiry Report |accessdate=2008-01-12]

The publication of Mitrokhin's material launched a parliamentary inquiry by the Intelligence and Security Committee. It's report when published referred to the lack of interest shown by the security services to Symonds case:-

The Committee believes that it was a serious failure of the Security Service not to refer Mr Symonds' case to the Law Officers in mid 1993. We are concerned that it took over 9 months to consult the Law Officers after he was identified in the draft book. We believe that the Service could have interviewed Mr Symonds, at least for the intelligence and historical record. [cite web |url=http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm47/4764/4764-02.htm |title=Intelligence and Security Committee - The Mitrokhin Inquiry Report |accessdate=2008-01-12]

Police Corruption

In 1969 after having been a police officer for 15 years John Alexander Symonds was one of three officers charged with corruption following a newspaper investigation into bribery at Scotland Yard. He skipped bail and fled to Morocco, [cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1999/09/12/nspy12.html |title=Scotland Yard officer was KGB spy
accessdate=2008-01-13] Symonds claimed later that he had been 'fitted up' [cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,265798,00.html|title=I told you I was a spy |accessdate=2008-01-13] and forced to leave under pain of death after having threatened to expose during any trial the endemic and systemic corruption within the Metropolitan Police service at the time. [cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1999/09/13/nspy313.html |title=Beautiful girls trained me, says the Romeo spy |accessdate=2008-01-13]

Mercenary

In Morocco Symonds served as a mercenary, making use of his Police experience and Army expertise and trained African troops to use 25-pound gun Howitzers, which was by this point a defunct old British army gun many of which had been sold off to African countries. [cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,265798,00.html |title=I told you I was a spy |accessdate=2008-01-13]

Recruited by the KGB

After a while in Africa Symonds was quite ill suffering often from malaria and having been infected with hepatitis. Embittered and angry at the situation he found himself in Symonds decided on revenge against the Metropolitan Police. Speaking of that time Symonds said:-

And so I renewed the dossier [on other allegedly corrupt police officers] and added to it, and I included everything I ever knew about all the corruption, rottenness, wickedness, duplicity, dastardly acts that I knew about or had taken part in.

Encouraged in this act by a man in the Mercenary camp called Marcel it was at this point that Symonds had effectively been recruited by the KGB. [BBC: "The Spying Game", first broadcast on BBC2, 19th September 1999.]

Bulgaria

Marcel arranged for Symonds to go to Bulgaria where he received what he described as 'first class medical treatment' by two doctors and was handed over to a man called Nick who was very interested in the identities of the corrupt officers of the Metropolitan Police.

Face the music

In 1980, disillusioned and homesick, Symonds returned to the UK. He stood trial at the Old Bailey for the original corruption charges, pleading not guilty. After spending a year in prison he was found guilty on only one of the original charges drawn up in 1972, and sentenced to 2 years imprisonment. The offence that of receiving £50 from a petty criminal in a car. He maintains that he was not guilty of this but that they needed to find him guilty of something. [BBC: "The Spying Game", first broadcast on BBC2, 19th September 1999.]

Ignored

Emerging from prison Symonds attempted to tell his story to anyone who would listen and pressed ahead with trying to expose the systemic corruption and abuse within the Police service. He contacted MI5 and MI6 to try and tell them all he knew about the KGB and their structure, safehouses and personnel. Symonds was however ignored and for the most part dismissed as a fantasist. He appeared on the front page of the Daily Express (1985) and in the News on Sunday (1987) but still the security services were not interested. [cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1999/09/12/nspy12.html |title=Scotland Yard officer was KGB spy |accessdate=2008-01-13]

John Symonds was interviewed as part of a BBC documentary series called "The Spying Game", which was broadcast on BBC2 starting 19 September 1999.

Follow ups

John is currently writing an account of his life on a website. [cite web |url=http://www.freewebs.com/secretdirt/johnsymondsstory.htm |title=Dirty Secrets |accessdate=2008-01-07]

ee also

* Mitrokhin Archive

References

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/09/99/britain_betrayed/446221.stm BBC Special Report] at the time of the release of the Mitrokhin Archive, 13 September 1999
* [http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm47/4764/4764-02.htm Intelligence and Security Committee] - The Mitrokhin Enquiry Report
* [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmhansrd/vo991220/text/91220w01.htm Reply from the Solicitor General] on the Mitrokhin Archive, 20 December 1999
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article165261.ece John Symonds] and others escape prosecution, 21 December 1999