Sir Alex had not a few things to say to me about my career. Sitting in a bookshop in Oxford, like with Dame Stella Rimington of MI5 before, he admired his scholastic surroundings. He also had some lessons there, taking in understanding from lecturers in their field to prepare him for his job.
“It was necessary,” he said to me, a long time after it happened, “and life-changing”. I suppose it was, listening to his many anecdotes, and I felt a passion for religion coming through in particular. He was of the majority that takes a calmer view of spiritual matters. He felt peace would add to peace.
Excluding that, he was proficient in his knowledge of MI6. I’m not allowed to acknowledge if I spoke to him during his tenure, as per rules barring a Journalist from doing so, but his knowledge was as good as any. He loved it. He cherished it. He took pride in it. Inside or out, he was an MI6 man.
Up to the job
His service, though, tested everyone to the limit. His time, by what I heard, was rough. A very secretive organisation doesn’t necessarily have it easy. They work hard under cover, receiving little support, and bearing with realities. They’re not guaranteed happiness. They can’t plan for nice things to have. It might happen for them, but perhaps not. It’s just what it always is.
Therefore, the right person has to have the job. He was the right man. He didn’t bother with pointless statements of intent. He didn’t try to impress others. He wasn’t a layabout or a fanatic. The Secret Service benefited from a quiet, keen intellect who knew what to do with the time given to him.
He spoke to me about what it meant to him to look at geopolitical realities. Much of it was about analysing events as spoken, watched, and acted upon. I suppose he meant a roundabout perspective that didn’t mean involvement. He wasn’t the meddling type. Others have said he looked clean.
Moving ahead
Sir Alex innovated a drive for improvement in his Service that far outstretched what was expected at the time. In fact, so many changes were made he’s remembered as their moderniser, now. Not that he shaped the look and feel of the place, but his awareness of needs made him look for far more.
The UK, therefore, began to leap over old problems, and even face new ones. Sir Alex delved into the archives to bring out examples from its past to encourage more daring work to be done. His staff loved him for it. Such was his popularity that they wanted him to continue on, but he resisted it.
This, too, was an innovation of his. It marked the tenure of a person who knew what it was like to be real, and so he kept to the guidelines, to help other people feel normal. This improved their work. Their satisfaction levels increased. It became popular to work there in their circles.