Graham Greene, Ben Greene & the Ministry of Fear

Graham Greene's 'Ministry of Fear' came out in 1943. The title is explained by the following passage in it-

“The Germans are wonderfully thorough,” Johns said. “They did that in their own country. Card-indexed all the so-called leaders, socialites, diplomats, politicians, labour leaders, priests—and then presented the ultimatum. Everything forgiven and forgotten, or the Public Prosecutor. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’d done the same thing over here [in England]. They formed, you know, a kind of Ministry of Fear—with the most efficient under-secretaires. It isn’t only that they get a hold on certain people. It’s the general atmosphere they spread, so that you feel you can’t depend on a soul.'

This raises the question of what sort of counter-intelligence is permissible where the enemy is so utterly ruthless. Some might say, 'we are British. We can't be blackmailed. Ignore the shabby tricks played by the Hun. We mustn't stoop to their level'. Others might reply, 'to fight a total war, we have had to give up all our economic rights. The country has already become bureaucratized. What is the point of making political liberty a shibboleth when, the fact is, if we lose this war, no such liberties will exist?'  

Graham Greene knew all about card-indexes because he served as an Intelligence officer during the Second World War. It appears that his sister- ten years younger than himself- who was already employed by MI6, arranged this job for him after he was turned down by the Army for some medical reason. I may mention that an uncle of the Greens had been head of Naval Intelligence during the Great War. Sadly, this did not ensure that their loyalties would always be for King & Country. + 

 As a case in point, Graham's cousin- Ben Greene- was jailed for a period during the war because he was believed to be part of a Fascist plot involving senior military figures- Admiral Domville (who was jailed) Lord Sempill at the Air Ministry (who passed secrets to the Japanese but who was not prosecuted) and General Fuller (who was protected by Field Marshall Ironside). There were also a couple of Dukes and other such aristocrats and industrialists who appeared to be part of this 'fifth column'. They too were left untouched.

It is said that Graham was unsympathetic to Ben's plight because Ben had been a prefect at Berkhamstead school- where Graham's father was headmaster and Raymond, his second oldest brother, was the head boy. It may be that Ben failed to protect Graham who was suspected of being a 'double agent' by his peers and subjected to bullying causing him to become suidicial. It was Raymond- later a very successful doctor and medical researcher- who suggested Graham receive treatment from a Jungian psychoanalyst. It appears that the oldest brother, who had seen action in France, developed problems with alcohol and went to the bad. Perhaps this had something to do with 'shell shock'. Later, it was this eldest brother, Herbert, who played a role in getting Ben Greene interned. It may be mentioned, Herbert had previously carried out espionage for Franco's side in the Spanish Civil War. 

Ben Greene had fallen under the influence of the Quakers while at University and it is likely that it was his Pacifist beliefs which led him to resign from the Labour party and get involved with a ultra-rightwing, maniacally anti-Semitic, fringe group of Fascists and fantasists. 

As I have pointed out elsewhere, Quaker meddling in foreign affairs, at that time, tended to be wholly counter-productive. Their one great achievment was to introduce Quisling to the Nazis with the result that the crazy Norwegian  converted to that evil creed. 

It appears that Ben fell for the blandishments of Ernst Wilhelm Bohle, a Nazi politician and SS officer. who was spoken off as Hilter's choice for Governor of Britain. The irony is that Greene had only contacted him as part of his scheme to get Jews & other victims of the Nazis out of Germany in the aftermath of Kristallnacht. 

Graham, as an undergraduate, had done some quasi-intelligence work for the Germans. (This had to do with the kidnapping of German collaborators in the French occupied Rhineland and their being subjected to trials for treason). One would have thought he'd have some sympathy for Ben Greene- more particularly because the evidence against him was shaky and his own rogue of an eldest brother's role in the matter was highly suspect. 

To be fair, the threat facing Britain was very grave indeed. Tyler Kent- a cypher clerk in the US Embassy- was passing secret correspondence to a White Russian lady close to Capt. Ramsay- a Tory MP & the only legislator interned at that time. If Americans came to believe that FDR was dragging them into war, Britain stood to lose its one strong hope of prevailing. Interestingly, Ambassador Kennedy waived Kent's diplomatic immunity so that he could be thrown in jail.

MI5 felt frustrated by the reluctance of the judiciary to prosecute under the Treachery Act of 1940 and thus set up a fake Gestapo cell under 'Operation Fifth Column' directed by Victor Rothschild. Much of the information uncovered remained secret but, it may be, Graham was on the 'inside track' in this matter. In other words, he may have known that his cousin Ben had done some very stupid things. Idealism, it turned out, can make an 'useful idiot' out of anyone. 

Ben's younger brother Felix, a very religious man & admirer of Jeddu Krishnamurthi who, for some reason, became infatuated with Mao's China, shared Graham's wanderlust. He is still remembered for his sympathetic portrayal of North Vietnam in the mid-Sixties. Perhaps, journalism- more especialy when reporting from foreign countries- innoculates you a little against ideological imbecility. 

India should be thankful that neither Graham nor Felix (who did visit India & who met Nehru) cared to write about India. Perhaps, they knew in their heart of hearts that there is nothing so much to be feared as a Government of India Ministry.