Really TRUE odd factoids

[Blue Hills]

Jack Jones was a paid agent for Moscow. He regularly reported to them on Government policy and thinking.

This rings the slightest of bells - do you have a source?

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

It's a well documented fact. Michael Foot was also a paid agent, and when he was leader of the Labour Party there were major worries over what to do should he win the next election.

Margaret Thatcher wasn't told to protect the integrity of the election (Trump take note) but a policy decision was made to tell QEII if he won. He didn't, fortunately for us all.

I've just been rereading details in Ben Macintyre's excellent book about extracting Oleg Gordievsky from under the noses of the KGB in Moscow.

 

[Eziemnaik]

What could have sent you to Australia in 1780's
I like clandestine marriage.
One wonders if down under is full of impersonators of Egyptians nowadays

 

[Blue Hills]

IMichael Foot was also a paid agent

will need a source for that as well.
If a paid agent Moscow did a very poor job in view of his electoral success.

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

will need a source for that as well.

I've just been rereading details in Ben Macintyre's excellent book about extracting Oleg Gordievsky from under the noses of the KGB in Moscow

 

[Blue Hills]

will try to track down.
I do remember having reservations about one of his books.

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

Really?
He's very well informed, and does have access to a lot of information. I suppose some of that comes from working for The Times, and the doors that will be opened as a result.

 

[Blue Hills]

Another Ted Heath one though I should stress before offering it that I'm not implying that he was a Nazi or Fascist:

Ted Heath met Goebells, Himmler and Goering at what been described as an SS cocktail party,

 

[Blue Hills]

Really?
He's very well informed, and does have access to a lot of information. I suppose some of that comes from working for The Times, and the doors that will be opened as a result.

Bit more trawling seems to show that it's little but rumour.

Here - yes I know it's the guardian but there are lots and lots of other sources.

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...m-claim-that-michael-foot-was-paid-by-soviets

and it seems from this and other sources that Foot won a libel case about these claims.

What does Macintryre reckon the soviets got out of their "agent"?

ie was it money well spent?

I know Macintyre isn't a paid up spy (not publicly at least) but I always avoid any books written by ex secret service folk or official histories of the secret services - their trade is scheming conspiracy and dirty tricks so who is to know that what you are reading isn't just the latest game?

And Spycatcher, despite its supposedly shocking revelations, was one of the most boring books I have ever read.

So am afraid I'm going to have to sideline this as a true factoid until we get more evidence.

all the best

oh - that article quotes John Foot, not only a relative but an extremely good historian. Specialises in Italy, the land of murk.

 

[Chris S]

View attachment 569611
What could have sent you to Australia in 1780's
I like clandestine marriage.
One wonders if down under is full of impersonators of Egyptians nowadays

That poster is a fake. The Lion and Unicorn have been used on the United Kingdom's coat of arms since 1603:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_and_the_Unicorn

 

[Dave7]

View attachment 569611
What could have sent you to Australia in 1780's
I like clandestine marriage.
One wonders if down under is full of impersonators of Egyptians nowadays

Around the reign of Henry V111 Romanies or nomads were thought to have originated in Egypt and therefor called Egyptians. To be found guilty of being a Romany/Egyptian or even associating with them was a hanging offence. There are records of numerous hangings each year of that period.

 

[classic33]

Really?
He's very well informed, and does have access to a lot of information. I suppose some of that comes from working for The Times, and the doors that will be opened as a result.

Same story appeared in the Daily Mail, Express and The Star.

 

[Ste T.]

While I knew there are more stars in the known universe than there are grains of sand in all the deserts and beaches on earth, today I discovered on the same scale, if our sun was a grain of sand held between your finger and thumb, the next nearest star, Proxima Centauri, would be another grain of sand six miles away.
I guess it's not called space for nothing.🤔

 

[Oldhippy]

Douglas Adams said, I think, Space is big. Really big.

 

[classic33]

The longest wiring that can be found in an airplane is in the Airbus A380 — its 320 miles of cables would stretch as far as Leicester to Glasgow.