Talk:Richard Tomlinson

Book
Wikipedia has no policy against linking to copyrighted material; if it did there could be practically no links. Besides, cryptome offers the book for download with Tomlinson's consent. If you do not believe this, take it up with Cryptome.86.151.37.17 (talk) 19:21, 17 November 2007 (UTC)


 * I see the same guy (124.171.4.229) has deleted the link again. If he has evidence that the book is made available at the cryptome site without the consent of the copyright holders, he should take it up with cryptome, and (if he wants to make an issue of it here) post the evidence here. In fact he doesn't have such evidence, as the book is made available at cryptome with Tomlinson's consent; they made it available after his own website thebigbreach.com, (where he also had it available for free download) was taken down. I suspect the guy taking the link down has his own agenda. I know we're supposed to assume good faith, but if he keeps taking the link down I suggest it should be treated as vandalism.217.42.13.36 22:16, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

Why was the blog closed?

Tomlinson said in his entry of July 29, 2006, that "If Special Branch return to me all my possessions and give me some undertaking that they won't raid me again without good reason, then I will take down this list and blog."

Typepad confirms that they shut the blog down; they claim unspecified Terms of Service violations. It could have been done by order of Special Branch, upon reaching agreement with Tomlinson, or it could have been done unilaterally. Typepad says it is "not at liberty to discuss the matter".


 * Latest blog on blogger.com has been closed again on 8 March 2007.

keep up the good work 84.92.246.41 18:30, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Richard Tomlinson's Blogger.com Blog
I would like to know if the gag order from SIS can be verified as the real reason the new blog and first blog at blogger.com from Richard Tomlinson (ex MI6 agent) was first blocked and then deleted. Also I would like to know if someone can verify the other blog on blogger.com that was edited with 2 or 3 posts removed really belonged to the real Richard Tominson.

It's possible the creator of this blog could have been a fraud and the input of the blog does not at all look like they were from Richard Tomlinson. The post with the letter from Metropolitan Police was put on the blog without blocking the address and there are claims that Tomlinson's hard drives were returned, but there has been no proof from CPS or SIS that this really happened.

The back-up blog doesn't look any more credible than the new one, so he might have originally created the blog, but what proof is there he is the one who controls its input?

It is suspicious that Richard Tomlinson was allowed to create another blog on blogger.com due to the fact he violated their user agreement and would not have been allowed to.

Please let me know if the blogs are proven to belong to Richard Tomlinson, the CPS or Metropolitan Police did return the hard drives, the gag order from SIS really was the reason why the first blogger.com blog was first blocked and then deleted, and if the next blogger.com blog that was just edited of 2 or 3 posts does actually belong to him and he is the one in control of its input. The back up blog also looks suspicious and I would like to know if it can be verified if it is really Richard Tomlinson who has control of its input.

Thank you.

The blogs are genuine. You ask a lot of questions, but this is not an enquiry service. Many people would like to know many things. If the information on Wikipedia is not enough for you, feel free to do further research. Your comment above is unsigned - if it was you that deleted the links, kindly desist from deleting content simply because you have personal doubts about it.86.145.0.194 08:25, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

I did not delete any links from this post. This is a type of enquiry service, so there is no reason to complain if someone asks a question. It is an enquiry service edited by volunteer information just like yours came as. If the freedom of readers on Wikipedia in too much for you, feel free to do further media control elsewhere. You left no name either, but since you know so much, why don't you say why he deleted his blog, lied to everyone through it, and if he's dead or alive because that is the new rumor going on about him. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Scarletdaisies (talk • contribs) 05:32, 19 August 2008 (UTC)


 * If you can't handle comments on your idiotic gibberings, go back and hide in the little boys' room. And sign your contributions. You use four of these - ~. 116.28.1.191 (talk) 04:33, 28 December 2008 (UTC)

Recent Events
In September 2008, MI6 acknowledged that they had no grounds to dismiss Tomlinson, and that his dismissal from the service was due to their poor management practices at the time. MI6 dropped all legal objection to the publication of "The Big Breach", released the proceeds from the publication to Tomlinson, and admitted that their previous legal actions against him were unfounded. However, they still refused to reinstate Tomlinson in MI6, or compensate Tomlinson for the loss of his career, or even help him find alternative employment, though Tomlinson can now travel freely to the UK.

Do you have a source for this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.130.12.67 (talk) 02:33, 15 March 2009 (UTC)

I was in 2ReP FFL about 2000 with RT - he was under a different name then. I learnt his real name about 2006 when i saw him workingin a yacht brokerage in antibes, France. I see him occasionally in France and he is now a pilot i believe. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sharkbiskit (talk • contribs) 21:14, 24 August 2011 (UTC)

The Increment
The Increment has been redirected to this article due to a lack of independent sources past Tomlinson's books, the version here may have material that could be incorporated into this article. Tim Vickers (talk) 21:46, 1 June 2009 (UTC)

According to Big Breach, "Increment" is just MI6 internal name for 22 SAS Counter-Revolutionary Warfare wing. If you google CRW, there is plenty of information about it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.113.92.170 (talk) 09:14, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Spamming
Phrases like "best recruit" and "rarely given" seem to come from Tomlinson himself. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.97.194.200 (talk) 14:56, 19 July 2010 (UTC)

Or it could equally have come from "The Big Breach"?


 * "The Big Breach" says that Tomlinson could not join the Navy because of earlier asthma. The current text
 * is rather different. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.139.166.106 (talk) 12:32, 15 September 2010 (UTC)

Kennedy Scholar
"However he instead applied for and won a Kennedy Scholarship to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S., where he obtained an S.M. in Technology policy."

If he was a Kennedy Scholar at M.I.T in 1986/87ish, he would have been a contemporary of David Miliband who was also a Kennedy Scholar at M.I.T at the same time. It would be mildly ironic if it could be confirmed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chaoticwikimagic (talk • contribs) 05:39, 26 July 2010 (UTC)

Credibility
The autobiographies of most former spies are suspect. Tomlinson's doubly so. He was not actually a full agent, being on probation only. Did he actually "succeed [sic] in penetrating the Iranian Intelligence services"? This seems unlikely of a sulky newcomer who was assessed as a liability by others203.184.41.226 (talk) 04:59, 14 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I have now sourced this information to The Guardian. The source reads: "Unlike other claims made by Tomlinson about Britain's spying activities in the early 1990s, his evidence on this operation is viewed as being genuine because of his personal involvement. His testimony contains information that only an insider would know. It also has been corroborated by third parties." Farrtj (talk) 17:24, 15 February 2013 (UTC)

Titles
Was George Temple, "aide-de-camp to the head of MI6"? The head of MI6 is not a general, so would not have ADC's?203.184.41.226 (talk) 05:03, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
 * The term is used in MI6.Farrtj (talk) 17:21, 15 February 2013 (UTC)

Congratulations, this has passed as a Wikipedia Good Article
(I am "repeating" this here for when the review is no longer transcluded)

Congratulations, this has passed as a Wikipedia Good Article. Nice work! North8000 (talk) 11:05, 19 June 2013 (UTC) GA Reviewer

How long was he in prison?
The article is inconsistent - it writes in an early paragraph that he was imprisoned for five months, and in a later paragraph for four months.

In the Big Breach, Tomlinson claims to have spent six months in HMP Belmarsh. This would be consistent with his sentence of 12 months, because at that time, sentences of less than four years were automatically halved if the prisoner behaved well in prison.

Also, is it true that he spent some time in French Foreign Legion? There are some references to this elsewhere on the internet, but not well sourced. It might explain why he is a fluent French speaker and lives in France. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.203.69.5 (talk) 19:46, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

From Richard Tomlinson
I am the subject of this article. I don't think it ethical to edit the article myself, but would like to contribute a few points here, and will leave others to edit the article if they consider it appropriate.

Firstly, I would like to point out that the source for all articles in the UK national press attempting to justify my dismissal was SIS itself. As I argued at the time, if they could brief their contacts in the media about me, then there was no reason why they could not also present the same arguments to an employment tribunal, where I would have a chance to defend myself. As evidence of how unreasonable and amateur SIS personnel management was at the time, I have uploaded here a copy of their 1995 letter of dismissal.

Somebody asked how long I was in prison - the correct answer was that I was sentenced to 12 months in prison but was released on licence after six months. Somebody asked if I was in the Foreign Legion - I was not. Feel free to ask any other questions.RJCTOMLINSON (talk) 15:07, 14 December 2014 (UTC)
 * I have questions about your book, The Big Breach. First, what were you really doing in Africa "before" joining SIS? Second, why did you "flee" to France and expect to not be within their reach? France, of all places.--Zubedar (talk) 01:24, 24 October 2019 (UTC)