Talk:MI8

MI8
http://www.angelfire.com/dc/1spy/acronyms.html#1m claims that MI8 "was responsible for monitoring broadcasts having to do with German bombers during the Blitz; also called the Radio Security Service," and that the branch "dealing with escape and evasion in World War II" - which seems more like what this entry describes - was MI9.

I note that MI5 says the same thing, so I'm going to move this there.

There's now an another entry Black Chamber that seems to duplicate much of this article. One of these entries should probably redirect to the other, but which should be the main article?
 * One thought...currently this article (MI8) deals with two MI8s, so it might be convenient to deal with the American MI8 in Black Chamber, and the British MI8 here, with a disambiguation header to point people in the right direction. &mdash; Matt 23:31, 16 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Radio Security Service
"Also known as the Radio Security Service, it tracked radio broadcasts about German bombers during The Blitz."
 * I don't that is correct and have doubts about the relationaship between MI8 and the RSS. Perhaps a separate page is need for the RSS.
 * I understood that the RSS was an organisation set up early in WWII using mainly radio amateurs. These were used to monitor for any enemy radio transmissions within the UK initially as it was thought that there could be transmissions as beacons for bombers and also from enemy agents.  It then was used to monitor for transmissions from Europe which were posted to a Post Office Box number and eventually used by Bletchley Park.
 * As things got better organised there were monitoring stations set up and many of the RSS monitors were called up into the armed forces.
 * The RAF had their own "Y" service for monitoring transmissions from enemy aircraft and the Royal Signals, RN and others had their own similar organisations. --jmb 11:48, 24 June 2006 (UTC)
 * RSS VIs
 * RSS
 * Ahah, so that's what RSS stands for. The abbreviation first appears in the third paragraph of this article, and it's mentioned extensively, but nowhere (except here on the discussion page) do we find out what it stands for. 141.20.54.144 (talk) 15:06, 11 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Just reading The Secret Wireless War by Geoffrey Pidgeon. The RSS was formed by MI5 and was "taken over lock, stock and barrel" by Gambier-Parry in 1941 and became part of SIS Section VIII.  --jmb (talk) 10:44, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Apparently some wartime documents refer to the RSS as Radio Security Section and one wartime Post Office uses Radio Security Service and Radio Security Section on the same page. jmb (talk) 00:42, 26 December 2011 (UTC)

SCU
"After D-Day Special Communications Units (SCU) were created to disseminate the ULTRA material"
 * I thought that SCU were in operation before then? I am sure I have seen references to them in North Africa but just going from memory. --jmb 23:38, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
 * You are quite right, see the new subsection "Dissemination of Ultra intelligence" in Ultra.
 * Sv1xv (talk) 13:08, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

The SCU story is not directly relevant to RSS so I delete this paragraph.Sv1xv (talk) 16:38, 20 February 2008 (UTC)


 * "The Special Communications Units (SCUs) were the para-military organisations set up by Gambier-Parry to cover the many and various operations of MI6 (Section VIII), including the dissemination of Ultra traffic. That particular aspect of Section VIII's work was handled by Special Liaison Units (SLUs) in conjunction with the SCUs."  --jmb (talk) 10:48, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

To expand the above - SCU3 WAS RSS, SCU4 carried out the same interception work as RSS but operated overseas and SCU1 was concerned with two way communications between Britain and MI6's "activities" abroad. The SLUs were the secure channel used by MI6 to deliver the top secret ULTRA product to allied commanders in the field. Stan Ames (talk) 22:46, 2 August 2016 (UTC)

Bond Movie

 * This discussion, started by Sparkstersfury is being moved here from the article itself. It is also shown on the MI7 talk page for the same reason.

NOTE: FOR SOME REASON, IN THE WIKIPEDIA PAGE ON 'MI7' (WHICH ALSO MENTIONS Dr.No), IT SAY'S THAT THE "MI6" LINE WAS DUBBED OVER WITH "MI7" AND NOT "MI8" AS NOTED ABOVE. WHICH ORGANISATION WAS IT DUBBED WITH, 'MI7' OR 'MI8'? (Originally posted, as shown, by User:Sparkstersfury in the article mainspace.)

 Timothy Titus Talk To TT  15:39, 25 October 2007 (UTC)


 * A brief internet search quickly reveals multiple sources for this incident. The original words "MI6" were dubbed with the words "MI7" at this point in the film, even though an earlier reference to "MI6" was left unmolested - thus creating a continuity issue within the film. It also created a continuity issue within the series of films, as Bond's agency is clearly identified as "MI6" in many other Bond movies. There is no sign of any reference to "MI8". I have removed the material from this article, and provided two references at the MI7 article. There are many more available for those who fancy looking themselves!  Timothy Titus Talk To TT  11:04, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

Requested move

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was: not moved, proposal is for a split Kotniski (talk) 11:15, 12 December 2010 (UTC)

MI8 → Radio Security Service — The subject of the Radio Security Service occupies a large part of this page and it deserves a page of its own where more material can be aded that is unconnected with MI8. MI8c was the group that ran RSS for a short while but MI8 did many other things. Perhaps it should be split into two pages MI8 and Radio Security Service. Stan Ames (talk) 18:02, 4 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Oppose & Speedy close you are suggesting a split, which is not the same thing as a rename. 64.229.102.230 (talk) 05:41, 5 December 2010 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Major error in title
Describing MI8 as being a cover name for RSS is incorrect and misleading. MI8 was War Office communications security and interception. RSS was set up mainly by MI5 and GPO to control illicit radio transmissions in Britain. Control was shifted to the Secret Intelligence Service MI6 in May 1941. From 39 to 41 RSS was run under MI8c, a sub section of MI8. If nothing else this error should be corrected because as it stands it gives the impression that MI8 WAS RSS and very little else. Formed in 1914, MI8 were running the huge network of Army Y stations around the world in WW2 and should be given full credit for it. RSS should be relegated to a sub-set of this page or much better still given a page of its own because it continued operations until 1947 and was only under MI8c for a short period. For MI8 information See -Nigel West, Historical Dictionary of Signals Intelligence. Stan Ames (talk) 22:20, 27 January 2013 (UTC)

Stan Ames (talk) 23:07, 14 November 2013 (UTC)== Need for more appropriate information relevant to MI8 ==

MI8 was responsible for a huge, worldwide network of Interception and direction finding stations none of which are described in this page. Its about time we had information from retired army interceptors and historians about this important work. We should not allow the misconception that MI8 was limited to its short period of control of The Radio Security Service to continue. You could start with www.garatshay.org.uk. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Stan Ames (talk • contribs) 23:01, 14 November 2013 (UTC)

RSS does not belong on this page
Despite an earlier refusal to "split" RSS from MI8, it is clear that to keep it here under the title of an outfit that controlled it only for a very short period during its infancy is just plain wrong. It was under the control of MI6 for most of its life and that's where it achieved its greatest success, not under MI8. RSS was so secret that most details were classified until the 1990s and since then a large volume of information has emerged and it deserves to have a page of its own. Removing it from the MI8 page will allow contributors to populate this page with information relevant to the wide ranging work of MI8. Increasing the amount of RSS material on this page will only further mislead readers into thinking that MI8 was RSS.

I know nothing of the politics and processes of Wikipedia, what would happen if I started an new page on RSS? Can someone help me here?Stan Ames (talk) 19:51, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

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