1974 Coup Plot in the UK

[George_VI]

So having read around a few places (nothing of much reputation, but still), I've come across stories and allegations of a planned 1974 coup d'état against the Wilson government because it was thought he was a KGB spy. Apparently it was to be run by MI5 and the Army, and possibly backed up by the Royal Family and led by Mountbatten. Supposedly they would abduct the PM and take over airports and the BBC. Also involved with this scheme was one Captain Wallace, who worked at the British Army's Northern Ireland press office and was allegedly involved in something called "Clockwork Orange", a mass smear campaign against Labour politicians by the Army. On top of that, in 1974 the Army took over Heathrow airport as part of a training exercise, which, according to Marcia Williams, the government was not told about; she claimed it was a sort of dry-run of the coup or a weird show of force by the Army.

Thoughts? An actual plan, or just paranoid musings? I'm no conspiracy theorist myself, so naturally I find it hard to believe. Maybe someone else more knowledgeable can tell us something else.

 

[DoomBunny]

Given that the Queen got on rather well with Wilson and that he was actually fairly moderate, I find this somewhat dubious.

Is there any actual evidence for this or is it just journalist articles?

 

[George_VI]

Given that the Queen got on rather well with Wilson and that he was actually fairly moderate, I find this somewhat dubious.

Is there any actual evidence for this or is it just journalist articles?

Basically just journalist articles and Wikipedia, so nothing really solid. I'm not sure if the Queen would even back it, it was just "the Royal Family" that was mentioned. I think it was to be orchestrated by elements within the security services on their own initiative rather than by the orders of the Crown. I can see why there was suspicion that he was a KGB spy, he was a left-winger and he went to Oxford, but it's still really outlandish. I assume it would have been triggered whenever the KGB "activated" him, but that would probably never happen because he was probably not a KGB spy in the first place.

 

[DoomBunny]

Yeah I'm really not seeing this as a thing. It lacks almost anything to make it credible as a theory; the British Army tends to be rather apolitical, there's no reason to get rid of Wilson, there's no precedent for it (or at least, none since the last military 'coup' in 1660), and it just really doesn't make sense. I mean, what was the end-game here?

I'd suggest this can go in the pile with the "Chemicals in the water turning the frogs gay!", but that apparently actually happens.

 

[Easy-Kill]

Yeah I'm really not seeing this as a thing. It lacks almost anything to make it credible as a theory; the British Army tends to be rather apolitical, there's no reason to get rid of Wilson, there's no precedent for it (or at least, none since the last military 'coup' in 1660), and it just really doesn't make sense. I mean, what was the end-game here?

I'd suggest this can go in the pile with the "Chemicals in the water turning the frogs gay!", but that apparently actually happens.

There is also the fact that the queen can essentially 'sack' the prime minister whenever she wants. She doesn't need the army or MI5 to do that.

Also, 1660 was not really a coup, Monck was appointed commander in chief of the Parliamentary army, and it was Parliament who were the legal rulers of England. You could suppose that the Lambert/Fleetwood/Booth risings were attempted coups, but I am not sure I would give them that credit.

 

[Gordy]

This is insane.

Only the contemporary and local equivalent of "wing nuts" would have thought Wilson to be a KGB agent. He wasn't particularly left-wing by the standards of the day and he'd already been PM for six years (1964-1970) without the UK becoming a satelite state of the USSR.

Plus the army doesn't get involved in politics.

 

[JodelDiplom]

If someone suspects the PM to be a foreign spy, why don't they just go to the monarch or a select number of party leaders, disclose their evidence to them in private, and then let those guys sack the PM in the name of national security over some made up reason? Or go to the PM himself, tell him he can either resign or you will release compromising information that will see him sacked and sued for high treason. Why bother with a coup at all? Unless you think parliament itself is full of Soviet spies, this makes no sense.

 

[Gordy]

The reality seems to have been that Wilson had some Eastern European connections that made M15 nervous so they kept a file on him but nothing substantial emerged. Wilson was rather paranoid about being bugged by security services whilst in office but there is no evidence that they ever did. One or two MI5 types talked up this story (one of whom did so to try to sell his memoirs*) but on investigation there was never any substance behind M15 trying to act against Wilson let alone an attempted coup.

* Spycatcher - there was a series of court cases over this in the late 80s, IIRC it was eventually published in Australia but the British government was furious about it and tried to get it banned and prevent any royalties going to the author.

 

[DoomBunny]

It also seems there is a book about a similar subject to this. One that on closer inspection would seem to be a tumblr quality teen fanfic written by a Labour MP angry at Thatcherism.