Nye Bevan was monitored by MI5 for more than 20 years, according to newly released files detailing the security service’s interest in him.
The records show that Bevan first came to MI5’s attention during the 1930s, when he was regarded as a left-wing firebrand. The surveillance then continued for more than two decades.
The files provide evidence of the length of time for which the security service kept Bevan under scrutiny. Their release offers a record of official concern about his political views during a period when he was viewed by MI5 as a prominent figure on the left.
The available material does not provide further details about the surveillance or explain how it was conducted. However, it establishes that MI5’s interest in Bevan was not brief, beginning in the 1930s and lasting for over 20 years.
