Pirate "pixilated" GR Part 1 Section 2

[Paul Mackin]

On Nov 10, 2005, at 6:37 PM, kelber at mindspring.com wrote:

> Found this on the Federation of American Scientists website (know  
> nothing about the organization, but the info seems accurate).  Note  
> the final paragraph:
>
>
> Secret Intelligence Service MI6
>
> The Secret Intelligence Service, sometimes known as MI6, originated  
> in 1909 as the Foreign Section of the Secret Service Bureau, under  
> RNR Commander, later Captain, Sir Mansfield Cumming, which was  
> responsible for gathering intelligence overseas. By 1922 Cumming's  
> section had become a separate Service with the title SIS. Cumming  
> signed himself 'C'; his successors have done so ever since.
>
> The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was established in 1940,  
> partly from the then Section D of SIS. After the War it was  
> disbanded and some of its members were reabsorbed into SIS.
>
> With the passing of the Intelligence Services Act, SIS was placed  
> on a statutory footing under the Foreign & Commonwealth Secretary  
> to whom it is responsible for all aspects of its work. The Act  
> defines the functions of the Service and the responsibilities of  
> its Chief, as well as establishing control and oversight  
> arrangements. The Service's principal role is the production of  
> secret intelligence in support of Her Majesty's Government's  
> security, defence, foreign and economic policies within the  
> framework of requirements laid upon it by the JIC and approved by  
> Ministers. It meets these JIC requirements for intelligence  
> gathering and other tasks through a variety of sources, human and  
> technical, and by liaison with a wide range of foreign intelligence  
> and security services. Specific operations are subject to  
> longstanding procedures for official and ministerial clearance.
>
> As the CIA is known as "The Company," SIS is known internally as  
> "The Firm" and to other agencies as "The Friends." SIS is based at  
> 85 Albert Embankment, Vauxhall Cross in London (known to those who  
> work there as "Legoland"). MI6 also paid for a number of telephones  
> located in a busy street in south London (Borough High Street in  
> Southwark, opposite the Police Station) which has been identified  
> as the spy training centre. The main training centre is Fort  
> Monckton, a Napoleonic fort on the south coast at Gosport in  
> Hampshire. What is thought to have been MI6's former City of London  
> office is located in an office block in the Square Mile.

In other words, "the Firm" usage had already been invented before  
Pynchon came along.

I don't think  I knew that, so thanks to you and Michael.


>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net>
> Sent: Nov 10, 2005 5:37 PM
> To: pynchon-l at waste.org
> Subject: Re: Pirate "pixilated" GR Part 1 Section 2
>
> I always took "the Firm" to be a Pynchon invented usage  mimicking
> "the Company" and "the Agency" as used in the U.S. to refer to the
> CIA,  especially  in its  secret operational activities.
>
>
>