Catalogue description Government Code and Cypher School: Administration Files on the Radio Security Service

Search within or browse this series to find specific records of interest.

Date range

Details of HW 34
Reference: HW 34
Title: Government Code and Cypher School: Administration Files on the Radio Security Service
Description:

This series contains records of Government Code and Cypher School tasking of Radio Security Service for interception of German and other enemy illicit wireless communications, analysis of the communications, and records of relations with wartime allies on radio security matters. It includes the minutes of the Radio Security Intelligence Conferences.

The records in this series were retained by the department under s.3(4) of the Public Records Act 1958, until it was decided that they could be made available to the public. The records were open from the date of transfer to the PRO.
Date: 1938-1946
Related material:

Radio Security Service files on Polish matters are in HW 47.

Messages intercepted by RSS were passed to Oliver Strachey's section at GCCS to be decoded and reported on. These reports are in HW 19
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Former reference in its original department: Q985 A - U
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

Government Communications Headquarters, 1946-
Physical description: 30 file(s)
Access conditions: Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated
Immediate source of acquisition:

From 2001 Government Communications Headquarters
Accumulation dates: File series ran from 1942 to 1945
Selection and destruction information: This series documents a significant aspect of the conduct of the Second World War and in accordance with the published PRO acquisition policy (para 2.2.1.3) all surviving files have been preserved.
Accruals: Series is accruing
Administrative / biographical background:

The Radio Security Service (RSS) was established in September 1939, following an investigation and report by Lord Hankey, with the responsibility for detection of illicit wireless communications within the UK and surrounding sea. Initially under the control of MI8 of the War Office, and using physical facilities provided by the Post Office, RSS supplied the Security Service with details of intercepted communications.

In May of 1940 RSS was made responsible for interception of German overseas illicit transmissions, and by the end of 1940 for the global interception of enemy secret service communications. In January 1941 RSS passed to the control of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), and in August of that year it assumed responsibility for the overseas interception units, previously under MI8 control. As well as targeting known enemy radio-communications networks, RSS undertook systematic searches and analysis of the radio spectrum looking for illicit broadcasts, which could then be targeted. These searches utilised home-based volunteer interceptors, who reported their findings by post to RSS.

At RSS headquarters in Barnet, the Radio Intelligence Section of RSS undertook intelligence analysis in co-operation with the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) and the SIS, which resulted in regular Radio Security Intelligence conferences. RSS also had responsibility for monitoring allied non-military communications, mainly within the UK. In 1946, RSS was taken over by Government Communications Headquarters (formerly GC&CS).

Have you found an error with this catalogue description?

Help with your research