Operation FOOT

Operation FOOT was the expulsion of 105 Soviet diplomats and trade officials[1] from Great Britain carried out by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Edward Heath in September 1971 as part of the ongoing Cold War.[2] It was, "The largest expulsion of intelligence officials by any government in history."[3] And took place as, "A British response to the general Soviet plan to advance terrorist activities in the West."[4]

Though Britain had engaged in "tit-for-tat" expulsions previously, the expulsion of 105 diplomats was "unprecedented" and "sent shock waves through not just the Kremlin, but through the international community as a whole."[2] Because of this, the expulsion itself received widespread coverage by British news sources and journalist. [1]

Operation Foot, "marked the major turning point in Cold War counter-espionage operations in Britain." and, "made Britain a hard espionage target for Soviet intelligence for the first time."[5]

References

  1. 1 2 Hughes, Geraint (17 August 2006). "'Giving the Russians a Bloody Nose': Operation Foot and Soviet Espionage in the United Kingdom, 1964–71". Cold War History. 6 (2): 229–249 – via Taylor and Francis Online.
  2. 1 2 Bennett, Gill (5 August 2014). Six Moments of Crisis: Inside British Foreign Policy. Oxford University Press. p. 123.
  3. ↑ Walton, Calder. "Why Obama Was Smart to Kick Out Russian Spies". Politico.
  4. ↑ Trahair, R.C.S. Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations. p. 220.
  5. ↑ Andrew, Christopher. "The Later Cold War". MI5 Security Service - History - Cold War.


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