Dick Franks | |
|---|---|
| 8th Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service | |
| In office 1979–1982 | |
| Preceded by | Maurice Oldfield |
| Succeeded by | Colin Figures |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Arthur Temple Franks 13 July 1920 |
| Died | 12 October 2008 (aged 88) |
| Spouse | Rachel Ward |
| Children | One son, two daughters |
| Alma mater | Queen's College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Intelligence officer |
| Awards | KCMG |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | |
| Rank | Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service |
| Battles/wars | |
Sir Arthur Temple "Dick"FranksKCMG (13 July 1920 – 12 October 2008) was Head of the BritishSecret Intelligence Service from 1979 to 1982.
Educated atRugby School andQueen's College, Oxford, Franks wascommissioned into theRoyal Corps of Signals in 1940.[1] He became anIntelligence officer in theWestern Desert and then joined theSpecial Operations Executive.[1][2][3]
He started his career by "earning a reputation for daring military exploits against Nazi Germany before pursuing a fruitful career on Her Majesty’s secret service."[3]
After the War he briefly worked for theDaily Mirror before joining the Secret Intelligence Service in 1946.[1] He became involved inOperation Boot, a plan to overthrowMohammad Mosaddegh, the nationalistic IranianPrime Minister in 1953.[1] He was posted toBonn in 1962 and was promoted to Deputy Chief in 1977.[1][2] He was appointed Chief of the Service in 1978, in place ofBrian Stewart, the Director of Support Services.[4][1]
As Chief, Franks was forced to contend with budget cuts, which he accepted for fear that SIS would otherwise be merged with theSecurity Service.[5][2] One of the consequences of these cuts was the virtual closure of the MI6 station inTehran – and the sole remaining officer was forbidden from operating out of the British Embassy by AmbassadorAnthony Parsons – forcing him to instead rent a flat and depend on briefs delivered bySAVAK.[5]
He lived atAldeburgh inSuffolk.[6] Franks was a member of theTravellers Club and still made regular visits into the last years of his life, often reminiscing with old colleagues from the intelligence world.[5]
He was nicknamed "Dick" and "Dickie".[3]
Sir Colin McColl, former head of MI6, said: “He [Franks] was extremely effective yet also sensitive, intelligent and a most delightful man.”[3]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief of the SIS 1979–1982 | Succeeded by |
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