Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In the mid-1960s, intense Cold War paranoia and recent spy scandals left British politicians deeply distrustful of the intelligence services. Left-wing MPs and political campaigners increasingly suspected MI5 of wiretapping their phones, prompting repeated parliamentary questions that challenged the government's traditional refusal to comment on interception. Against this backdrop of growing political concern, and amid his own well-documented distrust of elements within the intelligence community, Prime Minister Harold Wilson formally intervened. On November 17, 1966, he told the House of Commons that MPs' telephones would not be intercepted except in exceptional circumstances requiring his personal authorisation, establishing what became known as the Wilson Doctrine.
ITN spoke to private detective, Barry Quartermaine, to find out exactly how phones could be bugged.
#phonetapping #haroldwilson #coldwar #britishgovernment #houseofcommons #mi5
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In the mid-1960s, intense Cold War paranoia and recent spy scandals left British politicians deeply distrustful of the intelligence services. Left-wing MPs and political campaigners increasingly suspected MI5 of wiretapping their phones, prompting repeated parliamentary questions that challenged the government's traditional refusal to comment on interception. Against this backdrop of growing political concern, and amid his own well-documented distrust of elements within the intelligence community, Prime Minister Harold Wilson formally intervened. On November 17, 1966, he told the House of Commons that MPs' telephones would not be intercepted except in exceptional circumstances requiring his personal authorisation, establishing what became known as the Wilson Doctrine.
ITN spoke to private detective, Barry Quartermaine, to find out exactly how phones could be bugged.
#phonetapping #haroldwilson #coldwar #britishgovernment #houseofcommons #mi5
To search the ITN Archive collection on Getty Images, follow the link below:
gettyimages.co.uk/footage/itn
🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel (tap the bell icon and stay up to date with all the latest Frontline by ITN videos!) - youtube.com/@FrontlinebyITN
🎥 Follow us on Twitter - twitter.com/ITNArchive
🎥 Like us on Facebook - facebook.com/ITNArchiveITNP
🎥 Check out our TikTok - tiktok.com/@itnarchive1955
