Christopher Curwen
British Intelligence officer
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Sir Christopher Keith Curwen, KCMG (9 April 1929 – 18 December 2013) was a British Intelligence officer specialising in South East Asia who was Head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) from 1985 to 1989.
Christopher Curwen | |
|---|---|
| |
| 10th Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service | |
| In office 1985–1989 | |
| Preceded by | Colin Figures |
| Succeeded by | Colin McColl |
| Deputy Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service | |
| In office 1980–1985 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 April 1929 |
| Died | 18 December 2013 (aged 84) |
| Alma mater | Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Intelligence officer |
| Awards | KCMG |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |
|
| Unit | 4th Queen's Own Hussars |
| Battles/wars | |
Career
Curwen was educated at Sherborne School and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge after which he was commissioned into the 4th Queen's Own Hussars in 1948, serving in Malaya.[1][2] He joined SIS in 1952 and was posted to Thailand in 1954 and Vientiane, Laos in 1956.[2] He returned to the service's London headquarters in 1958, had another spell in Bangkok from 1961 and then two years in Kuala Lumpur. He was at one time married to a woman from Burma;[3] they were later divorced.[4]
Curwen spent three years as SIS liaison officer in Washington D.C. from 1968 and was then head of station in Geneva.[5] He was deputy to Sir Colin Figures from 1980 and succeeded him as Chief of the Service in 1985.[6] His tenure was notable for the successful exfiltration from Moscow of the KGB officer and British agent Oleg Gordievsky.[4][2]
His obituary in The Times noted: "He possessed a romantic patriotism that belied his hard-headed persona."[2]
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