John Rennie (MI6 officer)
Sir John Ogilvy Rennie, KCMG (13 January 1914 – 30 September 1981) was the 6th Director of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) from 1968 to 1973.
John Rennie KCMG | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 January 1914 |
| Died | 30 September 1981 (aged 67) Lambeth, England |
| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Intelligence officer |
| Spouse(s) | Jennifer Margaret Wainwright |
| Children | David Rennie |
| Awards | KCMG |
| Espionage activity | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom  |
| Service branch | Secret Intelligence Service (SIS/MI6) |
| Service years | 1968–1973 |
| Rank | Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service |
Career
Educated at Wellington College and Balliol College, Oxford, Rennie joined an advertising agency in New York City in 1935.[1] During World War II he worked at an organisation in Baltimore combating German propaganda.[1]
In 1946 he joined the Foreign Office and was posted to Washington D.C. and then to Warsaw.[1] In 1953 he was appointed Head of the Information Research Department, a controversial body established to disseminate information about the dangers of Soviet-style communism.[1] During the Suez Crisis he chaired a committee established to disseminate British propaganda in the Middle East.[1] He was posted to Buenos Aires in 1958 and Washington D.C. in 1960.[1] He served on the Civil Service Commission in 1966.[1] Then in 1968 he was appointed Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service.[1]
On 15 January 1973, Rennie's son Charles Tatham Ogilvy Rennie, and his daughter-in-law were arrested for an alleged involvement in the importation of large quantities of heroin from Hong Kong.[1] Rennie resigned not long afterwards.[1]
Another son is The Economist columnist David Rennie.
He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1967.[1]
References
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Dick White |
Chief of the SIS 1968–1973 |
Succeeded by Sir Maurice Oldfield |