Do you know why Britain’s two top-secret services are called MI5 and MI6?And where are MI1, 2, 3 and 4?And why do they sound like motorway names? This is London Names Explained, part 6. First things first: MI stands for Military Intelligence, simple as that. And there were actually 17 of them in total, but only two of them remained, and they’re not even officially called MI5 and 6 anymore, but more on that later. The story starts in 1909, when the British government got worried about German spies and created something called the Secret Service Bureau. During the First World War, intelligence work was split into numbered departments, each responsible for a specific job. MI1 handled codes and ciphers.MI4 dealt with military maps. And so on. Over time, most of these departments either merged into each other or disappeared completely, leaving behind the two main services we know today. MI5 handles domestic security, and is based in Thames House on Millbank. Its real name now is simply the Security Service, also known by its unofficial nickname - Box 500, named after its wartime PO Box address. Not far down the river is MI6 - officially called the Secret Intelligence Service - based in this building straight out of Minecraft. The building and the service have picked up all sorts of nicknames over the years. There’s Legoland, thanks to the architecture.The Circus, thanks to novels by John le Carré, a former SIS officer. River House, also thanks to le Carré.And sometimes, just sometimes - Universal Exports: thanks to this guy. #london #history #mi6
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There's also a *secret* secret service called _Armitage._ They answer directly to the PM. The general public would still be oblivious about it if it weren't for one of the bravest military intelligence operators in the world, _Johnny English._
MI1 became GCHQ.
I really wanted it to stand for Mission Impossible 😂
Anyone remember which James Bond film shows the MI6 HQ getting blown up?
Want to see the behind-the-scenes of this series? I’ve written a Patreon article about how these videos are researched and made. It’s free to read, link in bio.
Quite ironic that the Secret Service have such a famous and iconic headquarter
I have only ever heard of the MI6 building being referred to as the Wedding Cake.
MI2 still exists but it's inside the Military. Oh maybe, I should not have told you that.
That's something I've actually always wondered. Thanks for the history lesson. And I loved the ending. Perfect!
There were at least 19 circa 1942, although not necessarily simultaneously. MI19 was the department encouraging and equipping escape and evasion from POW camps, or shot down aircrew who came down in occupied territory. The also debriefed successful escapers to learn the realities of escaping, so that new aircrew could be to some extent prepared to avoid capture.
Brilliant! Informative and very entertaining videos.
If I’m not wrong as well, the fun thing is that no one enters through or out the main entrance gate of the MI6 building, apparently agents will enter the MI6 building via several different disguised buildings nearby (this is so agents cannot be seen entering in front of the public which would ultimately expose them)
That ending made me laugh more than it should have. Nice work.
MI7 was used in WW2 to help British POWs escape from German POW camps. Some of the ideas were quite elaborate but a simple one was giving aircrew a silk scarf which had a map on the inside to help them escape. It also came with a small compass.
Box 500 is a cool name
MI1 is GCHQ
Brilliant ending. :-)
... and MIT is a university in Cambridge, MA.
Universal Exports is amazing
Just imagine if someone walked up to James Bond and said, "Hi! I need to export good from my factory, and someone recommended your company!"