MO5• 367MITROKHIN, VASILI.AKGBretiree, Major Vasili Mitrokhin trav-
eled by train from Moscow to Riga in March 1992 to offer theSecret
Intelligence Servicean extraordinarymeal ticket, a huge cache of
documents he had painstakingly copied from the First Chief Direc-
torate archive during the 12 years prior to his retirement in 1984.
Later in the yearSir Colin McCollauthorized Mitrokhin’s exfiltra-
tion to England, accompanied by his family, and seven years later
he producedThe Mitrokhin Archive, edited by professor Christopher
Andrew. It was to be followed in 2002 by theKGB Lexicon: The
Soviet Intelligence Officer’s Handbook.
The Mitrokhin Archive, drawn mainly from the KGB’s Illegals Di-
rectorate, revealed the identity of two British spies,Melita Norwood
andJohn Symonds. However, as neither had been convicted of espi-
onage, the disclosure of their names led to an inquiry conducted by
theParliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee,which
took evidence from Mitrokhin and issued a critical report in June
2000.
An almost identical edition ofThe Mitrokhin Archivewas pub-
lished in the United States in September 1999, and a further volume,
dealing with Soviet espionage in Europe, is scheduled for publica-
tion. Mitrokhin, who joined the KGB in 1948 and attended the Olym-
pic Games in Australia in 1956 in an undercover capacity, later was
posted to Tel Aviv and died in January 2004.See alsoKGB AR-
CHIVES.
MO5.The Directorate of Military Operations (MO) designation for its
intelligence branch that developed intoMI5. In October 1909 the
Committee of Imperial Defence(CID) resolved that an investiga-
tion of German espionage in the United Kingdom was needed and
appointed CaptainVernon Kellto lead it. Kell was given three offi-
cers, transferred to the reserve for this purpose, and a small team of
office staff to assist him. The organization, given the designation
MO5(g), operated in secret but reported to the colonel in charge of
MO5, who acted as its paymaster, military superior, and head.
When Britain entered World War I on 4 August 1914, MO5(g)’s
staff comprised nine officers, five civilians, four female office staff,
and three police officers. With the outbreak of war, the rules worked
out principally by the CID Sub-Committee (one of whose members