Mi6 Agents Give First Interviews

[TriWooOx]

Quote:Serving MI6 agents have given their first ever media interviews in an attempt to attract younger recruits to the spy service.

In the interviews, for Colin Murray's BBC Radio 1 show, two agents reveal that they use code-names but that the "licence to kill" is a myth.

"There is certainly action and there is a lot of adventure," says one.

The interviews coincide with the release of the new James Bond film, Casino Royale. MI6 has been shrouded in secrecy for most of its 97-year history.

One of the agents, referred to only as Officer A, tells Murray: "We go out and do the recruiting of sources.

"We identify individuals who can provide the intelligence that we need and our job is to establish a relationship with them at the point when they are motivated to work with us."

Traditional recruitment methods have been changing since the launch of the MI6 website, he adds.

"Our message is now if you're interested in working for the service then come and have a go.

"But it certainly wasn't like that when I came to it. My shoulder was well and truly tapped."

'Quite glamorous'

The officers also reveal that the idea of "a licence to kill" - so central to the Bond films - is a myth.

But "Officer B" reveals some aspects of the job are Bond-like.

"There is certainly action and there is a lot of adventure.

"It is also quite glamorous - you might find yourself on one day in the middle of a tent talking to a whole load of tribal leaders in the middle of nowhere and 24 hours later be in a different country talking to a high-powered financier."

The agents' voices are disguised to protect their identities.

Back in April, MI6 launched its first public recruitment campaign, taking out a half-page advert in the Times careers supplement offering jobs for "operational officers", technology experts and "thoroughly efficient administrators".

The MI6 website gives further details outlining the different types of jobs.

* The full interviews will be aired on Colin Murray's Radio 1 show on Wednesday from 2200 GMT.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6151138.stm

[Danis]

Cheers for the post Tri, I feel Military Intelligence is stooping very low to find recruits. I guess the people who apply through the site or adverts will probably get some crappy job, or become some 'local snitch' tattling on people in their area.