Labour icon and NHS founder Nye Bevan was spied on by MI5 for decades over feared Soviet sympathies, files reveal
Aneurin 'Nye' Bevan first drew MI5's attention in 1933 as the Labour MP for Ebbw Vale. Agents logged a 1934 Montreal rally where he pictured 'a united Europe under Soviet rule'. The watch continued while he served as a Cabinet minister building the NHS in 1948. The MI5 director general was so alarmed by his links to a known Russia spy that he warned prime minister Clement Attlee in No 10.
One MI5 report on Bevan was addressed to Anthony Blunt, later unmasked as a Soviet spy.
A 1954 lunch with the Soviet ambassador 'went off very badly' over Bevan's Welsh accent.
After his death, one MI5 officer reviewed the file and called it 'remarkably tame'.
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Daily Mail News'Father of the NHS' and Labour icon Nye Bevan was monitored by MI5 for decades for signs of Soviet sympathies while leaders feared party was riddled with Communists, secret files showThe TimesMI5 spied on NHS founder Nye Bevan for decades - The TimesFinancial TimesMI5 tracked NHS founder Bevan for 27 years, files show - Financial TimesThe IndependentMI5 monitored politician behind NHS for two decades, newly-released files showMorning Star | The People’s DailyState surveillance of NHS founder Nye Bevan condemned in Wales - Morning Star | The People’s DailyAOL.comBritain's MI5 spied on NHS founder Bevan, secret documents show - AOL.comYahoo News UKMI5 feared disruption of George VI coronationGB NewsMI5 feared Communist Party plot against Royal Family, documents reveal