Spies for Peace

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The Spies for Peace was a group of anti-war activists associated with CND and the Committee of 100 who publicized government preparations for rule after a nuclear war. In 1963 they broke into a secret government bunker, Regional Seat of Government Number 6 (RSG-6), where they photographed and copied documents. The RSGs were to include representatives of all the central government departments, to maintain law and order, communicate with the surviving population and control remaining resources. When Spies for Peace exposed the fact that government accepted thermonuclear war as a possibility and were consciously and carefully planning for it, it was virtually unknown to the public.

The Spies for Peace published this information in a document, Danger! Official Secret RSG-6, which listed the locations of the RSGs. Four thousand copies were sent to the national press, politicians and peace movement activists and copies were distributed on CND’s Easter march from Aldermaston. The 1963 Aldermaston issue of the CND bulletin Sanity included the Spies for Peace revelations and several hundred demonstrators left the Aldermaston route and headed for RSG-6 at Warren Row, near Reading, and set up a picket there. The Spies for Peace made front page news but the press was later prevented by an official “D notice” from saying any more about the matter. The police tried to prevent any further distribution of the information but failed to do so. RSGs in Cambridge and Edinburgh were also picketed.

Although several people were arrested, the original spies were not identified or caught. Since the death of Nicolas Walter it has been revealed that he was one of the Spies for Peace.^[1]