Howard Smith (diplomat)

Sir Howard Smith
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service	MI5
Active	1979-1981
Rank	Director-General of MI5
Award(s)	GCMG
Born	15 October 1919
Died	7 May 1996 (aged 76)
Nationality	British
Occupation	Intelligence officer, Diplomat
Alma mater	Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge

Sir Howard Frank Trayton Smith, GCMG (15 October 1919 – 7 May 1996) was a British diplomat.

Career

Educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge,^[1] Smith worked at Bletchley Park during World War II and later became the British ambassador to Moscow.^[2] At college in Cambridge, Smith was a contemporary of Asa Briggs, playing chess with him and recommending Briggs to fellow Cambridge mathematician Gordon Welchman for service in Hut 6.^[3]

In 1979 Smith was unexpectedly^[1] appointed Director General (DG) of MI5, the United Kingdom's internal security service, by Prime Minister James Callaghan, serving until 1981.

References

1. Obituary: Sir Howard Smith The Independent, 10 May 1996
2. Derek Taunt, "Breaking German Naval Enigma", p. 111 in Action this Day, edited by Ralph Erskine and Michael Smith, 2001, ISBN 0-593-04982-9.
3. Jones, Nigel (15 March 2016). "Asa Briggs obituary". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 15 March 2016.