Howard Smith (diplomat)
Appearance
Sir Howard Smith | |
---|---|
Born | 15 October 1919 |
Died | 7 May 1996 | (aged 76)
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge |
Occupation(s) | Intelligence officer, Diplomat |
Espionage activity | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service branch | MI5 |
Service years | 1979–1981 |
Rank | Director General of MI5 |
Sir Howard Frank Trayton Smith, GCMG (15 October 1919 – 7 May 1996) was a British diplomat.
Career
Educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge,[1] Smith worked at Bletchley Park during World War II and later became the British ambassador to Moscow.[2] At college in Cambridge, Smith was a contemporary of Asa Briggs, playing chess with him and recommending Briggs to fellow Cambridge mathematician Gordon Welchman for service in Hut 6.[3]
In 1978 Smith was unexpectedly appointed Director General (DG) of MI5, the United Kingdom's internal security service, by Prime Minister James Callaghan, serving until 1981.[1]
References
- ^ a b Obituary: Sir Howard Smith The Independent, 10 May 1996
- ^ Derek Taunt, "Breaking German Naval Enigma", p. 111 in Action this Day, edited by Ralph Erskine and Michael Smith, 2001, ISBN 0-593-04982-9.
- ^ Jones, Nigel (15 March 2016). "Asa Briggs obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
Categories:
- 1919 births
- 1996 deaths
- Directors General of MI5
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
- Bletchley Park people
- Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the Soviet Union
- Members of HM Diplomatic Service
- Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Czechoslovakia
- British mathematicians
- British crime biography stubs