Historical Dictionary of British Intelligence

DELMER, SEFTON• 145

chief of defense intelligence, drawn from one of the three armed ser-

vices, who sits on theJoint Intelligence Committeeas deputy

chairman.

The DIS consists of theDefence Intelligence Analysis Staffand

theIntelligence Collection Staffand produces a variety of publica-

tions, among themAir Intelligence Review,Technical Intelligence

Digest,Army Weapons Intelligence Review,andtheNaval Intelli-

gence Report.

DEFENCE OF THE REALM ACT (DORA).The legal basis of the
draconian powers of the Security Service in wartime is the Defence
of the Realm Act, known as DORA, which allows for enemy aliens
to be interned and other suspects to be detained without trial.

DEFENCE SECURITY OFFICER (DSO).The cover title forMI5’s
representatives overseas attached to British forces during and after
World War II in locations such as Aden, Asmara, Bermuda, Cyprus,
Gibraltar, Habbaniyah, and Malta. The first was appointed in Singa-
pore in 1936, followed by Hong Kong in 1937.

DEIGHTON, LEN.The son of the chauffeur to the keeper of prints
and drawings at the British Museum, Len Deighton was born in Lon-
don and attended Marylebone Grammar School. His first novel,The
Ipcress File, was published in November 1962 and was an instant
success, establishing Deighton, then working as a newspaper illustra-
tor, as among the best of modern spy writers. Having graduated from
the Royal College of Art and after national service in the Royal Air
Force (RAF), Deighton found work as an airline steward with the
British international airline BOAC. He never served in intelligence,
although he acquired a knowledge of photo imagery while in the
RAF.
Deighton’s invented organization, designated WOOG(P), is a
small but important branch of British Intelligence and features in five
of his thrillers. It was headed initially by a man named Dalby, who
enjoyed access to the Cabinet but was exposed as a traitor and re-
placed by George Dawlish for the last three novels.

DELMER, SEFTON.When Sefton ‘‘Tom’’ Delmer returned to Lon-
don from Paris, where he had been working as an accredited war cor-