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New MI6 Head

01 March 1994

David Spedding, 51, has been named as the new head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). He will take over from the existing chief, Sir Colin McColl, in September.

Spedding began his career as an intelligence officer in 1967 and spent his early years training as an Arabist at the Middle East Centre for Arabic Studies, a Foreign Office establishment located at Shemlan in Beirut. He then become second secretary at the embassy in Beirut until he was - one of a number of SIS officers - named by Kim Philby in 1971. Following Philby's disclosure he was transferred to Santiago, Chile, where his two- year (1972-1974) posting coincided with the CIA-backed overthrow of the Allende government by the military dictator, General Pinochet.

In 1978 he was posted to Abu Dhabi and between 1981 and 1983 he was at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. He served as a counsellor in Amman from 1983-1986, a period when Jordan was acting as a conduit to supply Iraq with western arms.

He returned to London in 1986 where he took responsibility for Middle East affairs and was the officer in charge of covert intelligence operations during the Gulf War. He was also in charge of a joint operational section that liaised with the Security Service, MI5. In 1992 he became director of operations for MI6.

Guardian 5.3.94.; Daily Telegraph 5.3.94.