UK / US Special relationship
Chadmuto3
Week8-IntConPP2017.pptIntelligence and Conflict
Week 8: The Special Relationship
Dr Daniel W. B. Lomas
Lecturer in International History | Directorate of Politics and Contemporary History | School of Arts and Media | Room 200C, Crescent House, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT
Twitter @SourceMerlin @SalfordUni_PCH
Liaison
Why share?
BRUSA
UK-US COMINT
A ‘special relationship’
US-UK intelligence
Why do countries share intelligence?
Intelligence liaison
There are significant advantages to sharing …
There is always too much information to collect.
‘Piggybacking’ to get information otherwise off limits.
Offset intelligence weaknesses.
Unique sources of collection
Access to unique collection facilities (SIGINT)
Intelligence liaison
Intelligence sharing can also develop relationships …
Development of a ‘professional community’.
Swap information about ‘best practice’.
Peer Review assessments.
Standardisation of techniques and tradecraft.
Allows you to influence others.
Intelligence liaison
Sharing and also develop into diplomatic ties …
Intelligence Liaison (4)
What’s the problem with sharing intelligence?
Intelligence liaison
But there are downsides ….
Differences in threat perception.
Differences in power – What does this relationship bring to the table?
Human rights issues – especially, as recent events show, in the War on Terror.
Intelligence can be passed to a third party without your permission.
Security – Spies can access your secrets via a ‘third party’.
Intelligence can be used for unintended purposes.
Intelligence Liaison (5)
Have a look at the key events in the ‘special relationship’ in the envelope provided.
Create a timeline by matching the events with the dates.
Feel free to use your smartphones.
Anglo-American Relations
August 1941
Britain and the United States sign the ‘Atlantic Charter’ promoting joint security interests.
March 1946
Churchill makes his ‘Iron Curtain’ speech at Fulton, Missouri. He refers to the ‘special relationship’ between Britain and the United States.
July 1946
Anglo-American Loan Agreement agreed. Loan of $3.75 billion provided to Britain on a low 2 per cent interest rate.
August 1946
US Congress passes the McMahon Act, preventing the sharing nuclear information with Great Britain.
January 1947
British government authorises the construction of a British A-bomb, responding to the US cut-off of atomic information.
Timeline (1)
April 1949
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) formed.
February 1950
British nuclear physicist Klaus Fuchs charged with passing nuclear information to the Soviet Union, helping them detonate their first atomic device.
November 1956
Anglo-French forces launch Operation Musketeer, part of their plan to capture the Suez Canal. US government refuses to support the UK government, forcing a withdrawal. Short term impact on US-UK relations.
July 1958
US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement signed in Washington, re-establishing the exchange of nuclear information for ‘weapon design, development, and fabrication capability’.
October 1962
Cuban Missile Crisis.
Timeline (2)
April 1963
UK government agrees to buy Polaris, a submarine-based nuclear deterrent system, by signing the Polaris Sales Agreement in Washington.
June 1966
British Labour Government under Harold Wilson criticises the US bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong during the Vietnam War.
June 1970
Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister, returning the Conservatives to power and starting a strained period in US-UK relations.
August 1973
The US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger urges President Nixon to cut-off intelligence sharing arrangements with Britain.
Timeline (3)
January 1981
Ronald Reagan becomes the 40th President of the United States. His partnership with Britain’s Margaret Thatcher illustrates the restoration of Anglo-American relations to full health.
March 1982
Thatcher government agrees to buy the Trident D5 missile and approves the construction of four Vanguard class submarines.
April 1982
Britain responds to the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands by sending a task force to re-take the islands. The US government provides important military assistance.
Timeline (4)
BRUSA 1946
Have a look at the copy of the BRUSA agreement in front of you.
What binds both sides together?
Why do you think this is a significant document in US-UK relations?
BRUSA 1946 (2)
Have a look at the reading for this week.
Why has the ‘special intelligence relationship’ remained so strong in the post-war period despite wider tensions in the transatlantic relationship?
Why was ‘covert action’ such a problematic area for intelligence officials on either side of the Atlantic?
What was the Anglo-American relationship like in the areas of HUMINT and TECHINT?
Special Relations?
On the sheets in front of you write an essay plan for the following question:
What factors have made the transatlantic special intelligence relationship resilient to wider Anglo-American disputes?
Note: I want at least 5-6 reasons to support your answer.
Special Relations?
Intelligence and Conflict
Week 8: The Special Relationship
Dr Daniel W. B. Lomas
Lecturer in International History | Directorate of Politics and Contemporary History | School of Arts and Media | Room 200C, Crescent House, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT
Twitter @SourceMerlin @SalfordUni_PCH
