Key facts
- MI5 monitored Aneurin Bevan from 1933 until his death in 1960.
- Concerns about Bevan's links to the Communist Party and criticism of the government prompted the surveillance.
- A 1955 note indicated unsuccessful attempts by the Communist Party and Trotskyists to recruit Bevan.
- A review after Bevan's death in 1960 described his MI5 file as 'remarkably tame'.
Newly released documents from Britain's MI5 reveal that Aneurin Bevan, the architect of the National Health Service, was monitored for three decades due to suspected links with the Communist Party and his criticism of the wartime government. The surveillance, conducted from 1933 until his death in 1960, closely watched his parliamentary activities and movements.
Despite suspicions of communist sympathies, MI5 investigations concluded there was little to be concerned about, noting that attempts by the Communist Party and Trotskyists to recruit Bevan were unsuccessful. A review of his case file after his death in 1960 described it as 'remarkably tame' given his controversial public persona.
The released papers also included files on German diplomat Wolfgang zu Putlitz and Soviet agents like Frank Bossard.