Sir Roger Hollis | |
---|---|
Born | 2 December 1905 |
Died | 26 October 1973 Catcott, Somerset | (aged 67)
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | Worcester College, Oxford |
Occupation | Intelligence officer |
Awards | KBE, CB |
Espionage activity | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service branch | MI5 |
Service years | 1938–1965 |
Rank | Director General of MI5 |
Sir Roger Henry Hollis KBE CB (2 December 1905 – 26 October 1973) was a British intelligence officer who served with MI5 from 1938 to 1965. He was Director General of MI5 from 1956 to 1965.
Some commentators, including the journalist Chapman Pincher and intelligence officer Peter Wright, suggested that Hollis was a Soviet agent. In his book The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5 (2009), the Cambridge historian Christopher Andrew rejects this theory.
The government's official position, first stated by Margaret Thatcher, is that there was no evidence that Hollis was a traitor.[1]