Fifth Column (intelligence operation)

It was initially intended to identify people who would be willing to assist Germany in the event of an invasion of the United Kingdom, but as it developed, it also acted to divert its targets away from harmful activities.

The agent at the heart of the operation was Eric Roberts, a former bank clerk who had been working under cover for MI5 inside the British Union of Fascists since 1934.

[4] Roberts, working under the alias "Jack King", told Perigoe that he was the Gestapo's agent in London, with instructions to find people who would be willing to help Germany in the event of invasion.

Perigoe agreed to help and began bringing in recruits including her friend Eileen Gleave and a former fascist acquaintance Hans Kohout.

[3] Kohout in particular was a prolific gatherer of intelligence: he brought in the specifications of the new Mosquito bomber, clues to night-vision technology and details of "Window".

But Guy Liddell, director of counter-espionage, defended it: "In a very mild sense it is, but in the absence of other methods, I do think it is desirable to ascertain something about evilly intentioned persons.

In 2018, two novels were published that cited Roberts and the Fifth Column operation as part of their inspiration: Kate Atkinson's Transcription,[10] and Anthony Quinn's Our Friends in Berlin.