Keeping Secrets: A Speculative History of the Modern British Secret Service.
By Brad Mengel
Author's note: This article is based on a number of speculations based on the number of very small hints that the Secret Service has allowed to let slip.
During the events of THE ALL CONSUMING FIRE in 1887 Dr Watson discovered that Mycroft Holmes was the Head of the British Secret Service. Mycroft, unfortunately, did not reveal when he was put into this position except for this tantalising hint that "some years ago Her Majesty decided to set up what, for want of a better word, might be called her own 'intelligence organisation'." Whilst this would seem to suggest that Mycroft created his own new agency, new research indicates that he restructured the existing secret service and he had to literally recreate the service that was created by Queen Elizabeth I with Sir Francis Walsingham in command.
As far as I have been able to locate that was the earliest chronological reference to Mycroft Holmes being head of the British Secret Service (BSS) Although references do turn up in the novels of Frank Thomas (SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE GOLDEN BIRD and SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SACRED SWORD both set after 1895), John T. Lescroat (THE SON OF HOLMES set 1915), Quinn Fawcett (AGAINST THE BROTHERHOOD, EMBASSY ROW, and THE FLYING SCOTSMAN) and even in the film THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1888). Turning to Conan Doyle's own references to Mycroft there are two very interesting points raised but no date as to when he took up the position of head of the BSS. The first point of interest comes from his first appearance in THE ADVENTURE OF THE GREEK INTERPRETER where Sherlock tells Watson that Mycroft was one of the founders of the Diogenes Club. The Diogenes was, as we know, the cover of the BSS. Secondly in The ADVENTURE OF THE BRUCE PARTINGTON PLANS Sherlock adds that Mycroft had created his position for himself. From this we can speculate that Mycroft was given the position based on something he had done himself.
So what did Mycroft do to earn this position? This may lead us to the date of the formation of the BSS. Naturally, an examination of the earlier life of Mycroft Holmes is in order. In my survey of Mycroftian literature I uncovered ENTER THE LION. Set in 1875 it is narrated by Mycroft himself and tells how he, Sherlock and Victor Trevor all helped foil a plot to over throw the United States Government and replace it with a British controlled Confederate Government (as a quick aside this appears to an early attempt by the same conspiracy that was seen in DESTROYER 81: HOSTILE TAKEOVER). It is my contention that this was the event that led to Mycroft being given the job of establishing and running the British Secret Service, quite likely in 1876. Not bad for someone just under thirty.
Mycroft ran the BSS up to and including WW1 as he was shown to have assigned Auguste Lupa (Nero Wolfe) his mission in 1915. But by 1939 Mycroft had retired and Sherlock Holmes was approached by Winston Churchill to undertake a spying mission in Nazi Germany (as seen in CURSE OF THE NEIBLUNG by Marcel D'Agneau) . So when did Mycroft retire? Personally, and with no textual evidence, I speculate that he left the service in 1919 after Prime Minister Lloyd George refused to take his advice with regards to the Versailles Peace Conference, also Mycroft at this point was seventy-two years old and the events of the previous four years had to have taken their toll on him and the government may have fired him after the war. (Also it had a nice symmetry with the ANNO DRACULA UNIVERSE). Mycroft was allowed to keep his membership with the Diogenes and dined with Calvin Trent there in 1924 thus leading to him to write up ENTER THE LION in 1934.
It is at this point I will address the issue raised by THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. Set in 1898 it is about a group of unusual people (Allan Quatermain, Capt. Nemo, Griffin, Jekyll / Hyde and Mina Murray) who are recruited by Campion Bond under the direction of "M" who was originally assumed to be Mycroft but is later revealed to be Prof. Moriarty. Moriarty was in fact in the employ of the BSS. He was originally recruited in University by the Foreign Office but later transferred to the BSS. Moriarty was given the position as head of the Underworld to gather information (he may have been in charge of Terrorism and Black Ops) and later started to form his own private secret service which he was given the title of "M". As can be seen in LEAGUE this was used to confuse people and quite likely had the effect of blackening Mycroft's name. The Moriarty group later merged with The Circle of Life lead by the second professor and later be came Krafthaus and eventually THRUSH.
So the natural question following this is who did become the second head of the BSS? Unfortunately, there is no definite information here and I can only list possible candidates. The first candidate is Charles Beauregard. In the ANNO DRACULA universe he took over from Mycroft Holmes and given the close relationship between the two families in the WN universe (his son married Mycroft's daughter) it is possible that he could have succeeded Mycroft (Kim Newman ANNO DRACULA series, THE ALL CONSUMING FIRE by Andy Lane and THE SHANG CHI CHRONOLOGY by Matthew Baugh). The next candidate is another protégé of Mycroft Holmes, Patterson Gunthrie but I have no other information on him (AGAINST THE BROTHER HOOD, EMBASSY ROW, THE FLYING SCOTSMAN by Quinn Fawcett). My third possibility and personal favourite is Sir Henry Merrivale (or H. M. as he prefers to be called). He was the head of the British Counter Intelligence (in 1922) and a member the Diogenes Club so we are informed in THE PLAUGE COURT MURDERS by Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr). Carr also reveals that his nickname was Mycroft, which he hated (Series of 23 novels by John Dickson Carr under the name Carter Dickson). It is also possible that Bancroft Pons also held the position. (Solar Pons series by August Derleth and Basil Copper).
Of course there is no reason not to assume that all of them could have taken on the position during that time for a five to ten year period but without any confirming evidence one way or the other, I honestly cannot comment.
It appears that during this period the Diogenes Club was changed to Universal Exports also during this period was the formation of the "00" section, with the license to kill, which was formed with WW1 veterans (suggested by J. T. Edson in "Behind Locked and Bolted door" in MORE J.T's LADIES where he reveals that The Ringer was in fact a member of the "00" section who started after he was WW1) It has also been speculated that Moriarty might have been acting as a "00" agent when he was sent to kill Sherlock Holmes in THE FINAL PROBLEM.
The next confirmed head of the BSS is Admiral Miles Messervy . According to John Pearson's JAMES BOND: THE AUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY Messervy was appointed to the position of M in 1945 "at the end of the war" (p145). Messervy possibly changed the Diogenes Club to Universal Exports but in 1965 he changed that to Transworld Consortium. Messervy retired in 1995 and was replaced by Barbara Mawdsley (if the short story "Licence to Hug" (ESQUIRE Nov 1995 by Will Self) is to be believed her old code name was in fact S suggesting that she may have been the head of section S)
According to new research it appears that the BSS is not a single entity but a rather a collection of smaller agencies as evidenced by the Mycroft -Moriarty feud. By the 1960's there were a great number of these agencies and they include Q branch, The "00" section (from Bond novels and films), Y1 (from the Tiger Standish series by Sydney Horler), MI9 (from Dangerman TV series), MI6A (from Blade series by Jeffery Lord), the group known as Circus (Smiley series by John Le Carre), WOOC(P) (Harry Palmer series by Len Deighton), Department of Concealed Communications (Double C) (Rand series by Edward D Hoch), Special Security (Boysie Oakes series by John Gardner) and what I call the Gifted Amatuer section. Each of these sections has a a specific purpose, "00" to eliminate external threats, Special Security to eliminate internal threats, Q to develop new technology, MI6A to exploit the discovery of extra dimensional travel by Q Branch and Double C to break codes and ciphers. The Gifted Amateur branch appears to be the branch that works with private citizens who have become involved in espionage. Some of these people, (such as Modesty Blaise, Willy Garvin, Simon Templar and Richard Hannay) are allowed to operate on their own. Others like Austin Powers, Dr David Keel, Cathy Gale and Emma Peel all work with an official agent such as Mrs Kensington or John Steed. This branch is also used to train new recruits as shown by Steed working with Tara King, Purdey and Mike Gambit.
A complete list of operatives of the British Secret Service would be impossible but some of the more notable professional and private agents include:
James Bond, (Series by Fleming, Gardner, etc)
John Steed, Dr David Keel, Dr Mike King, Venus Smith, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel, Tara King, (THE AVENGERS TV series)
John Steed and Hana Wilde (or Hannah Wild) (THE AVENGERS episode "The Superlative Seven" and AVENGERS stage play
Steed, Purdey, Mike Gambit, (NEW AVENGERS TV series)
Austin Powers, Vanessa Kensington, Mrs Kensington (Austin Powers Movies)
Nero Wolfe, (as Auguste Lupa in series by John T. Lescroat)
Sir Denis Nayland Smith, Dr Petrie, Black Jack Tarr, Clive Reston, Shang Chi, etc. (Fu Manchu series by Sax Rohmer and MASTER OF KUNG FU comic series by Marvel Comics)
John Drake, (DANGERMAN/ SECRET AGENT/ THE PRISONER TV Series)
Modesty Blaise, Willy Garvin, (series by Peter O'Donnell)
Henry Arthur Milton (The Ringer), (series by Edgar Wallace)
Lord Peter Wimsey, (series by Dorothy L. Sayers)
Solar Pons, (series by August Derleth and Basil Copper)
Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes and associates (series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and numerous others)
Charles Beauregard, Edwin Winthrop (Anno Dracula series by Kim Newman)
Lord John Roxton, (series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and others)
Richard Hannay, (series by John Buchan)
George Smiley, (series by John Le Carre)
Harry Palmer, (series by Len Deighton)
Richard Blade, (series by Jeffery Lord)
Ted Bailey, (series by Ted Allbury)
Ashenden (series by W. Somerset Maugham)
Albert Campion (series by Margery Allingham)
Charles Latimer (series by Eric Ambler)
Simon Templar (series by Leslie Charteris)
Carruthers (from Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers)
Patrick Dawlish (series by John Creasy)
Bulldog Drummond (series by Sapper and Gerald Fairlie)
Boysie Oakes (series by John Gardner)
Col. Russell (series by William Haggard)
Simon Bangor (series by Tim Heald)
Tiger Standish (series by Sydney Horler)
Max Heald (series by Harry Hossent)
Sir Robert Hunter (from Rouge Male by Geoffery Household)
Sir John Appleby (series by Michael Innes)
Desmond Drake (series by Sea Lion)
Major Haynes (series by Edgar Wallace)
Jonas Wilde (series by Andrew York)
Charles Vine (series of movies, SECOND BEST SECRET AGENT IN THE WORLD (LICENSE TO KILL), WHERE THE BULLETS FLY, OK YEVTUSHENKO (SOMEONE HAS STOLEN OUR RUSSIAN SPY) )
Charles Bind (series of movies NO 1 OF THE SECRET SERVICE, NO 1: LICENSED TO LOVE AND KILL, NO 1 GUN)
Dr Jason Love (series by James Leasor)
Nicholas Whistler (from Movie HOT ENOUGH FOR JUNE (AGENT 008 3/4) )
During my research into the connection between the British Secret Service and other agencies I discovered that there is a whole spy network of connections out there and a host of aliases used by our favourite spies and have incorporated them into a second section entitled:
A SPY BY ANY OTHER NAME
(Author's note: most of these connections are highly speculative and might be in error if you disagree just ignore that entry) Also the date in brackets refers to when the event took place as far as can be speculated from the time these events where given to the public and may be in error. The dates of the British series are the dates these were first aired in Britain.
Richard Henry Benson's wife and child go missing on a plane whilst in the air and Benson is in the toilet. All passengers deny ever seeing them. The shock sends Benson's face and hair dead white he then forms JUSTICE INC with Fergus MacMurdie and Algernon Heathcote Smith. They are later joined by Nellie Gray and Josh and Rosabel Newton. (AVENGER novel " Justice Inc" 1938)
(Benson much later discovers that the ISD was responsible for the death of his family and his condition)
Benson joins the ISD (JUSTICE INC graphic novel "Trust" 1948)
James Bond gets his 00 designation (1950)
James Bond's first adventure CASINO ROYALE novel (1951)
DANGER MAN starts (TV series 1960) John Drake is working for NATO
DANGER MAN ends (1961)
THE AVENGERS start (TV series 1961) John Steed and Dr David Keel
Dr Keel leaves and is replaced by Dr Mike King, Venus Smith and Cathy Gale to partner Steed (The AVENGERS 1962)
Dr King and Venus Smith leave Cathy is now Steed's only partner (THE AVENGERS 1962)
Cathy Gale finishes (THE AVENGERS 1964)
Emma Peel becomes Steed's new Partner (THE AVENGERS movie and THE AVENGERS 1964)
Nicholas Whistler is recruited and given the designation of 008 3/4 (HOT ENOUGH FOR JUNE movie ) (1964)
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. starts (TV series 1964) Agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin
Richard Benson apparently kills Fergus MacMurdie (JUSTICE INC graphic novel Betrayal 1964)
SECRET AGENT starts (TV series 1964) John Drake is working for MI9
Dr Jason Love undertakes his first recorded exploit (WHERE THE SPIES ARE novel and movie) 1965
Agent 23 Mandy Stephenson works with Solo and Kuryakin (The Never Never Affair THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. March 1965)
Mandy is transferred across to CONTROL and becomes agent 99 (speculation)
GET SMART starts (TV series 1965) Agent Max Smart and 99
I SPY starts (TV series 1965) Kelly Robinson and Alexander Scott
Derek Flint briefly encounters fellow secret agent Bond during his first recorded adventure and SPECTRE is mentioned (OUR MAN FLINT.movie 1965)
Agent Charles Vine gets his chance when Bond is on assignment (SECOND BEST SECRET AGENT IN THE WORLD (LICENCE TO KILL) movie 1965)
Illya hosts HULLABALLO (TV series Mar 1966)
GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E. starts (TV series 1966) April Dancer and Mark Slate
SECRET AGENT ends (1966)
Richard Benson apparently kills Nellie Gray (JUSTICE INC Betrayal 1966)
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE starts (TV series 1966) Daniel Briggs, Rollin Hand, Cinnamon Carter, Barney Collier and Willy Armitage
Charles Vine Returns (WHERE THE BULLETS FLY movie 1966)
Derek Flint using the name Bryan Cooper comes out of retirement to investigate a case of poisoned chewing gum that leads inexplicably to an international crime syndicate planning to take over the world with psychotropic drugs smuggled in phony Ming vases. (SECRET AGENT SUPER DRAGON movie 1966)
Illya Kuryakin meets Jim Nash at a Tailor shop and his children assume he is a spy. Kuryakin and Solo turn up to explain the situation. (Say UNCLE-PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES (TV series spin off of 1960 movie) 1966)
Derek Flint's next adventure IN LIKE FLINT movie (1967)
John Drake is stripped of his identity and is now Number 6 living in the Village (THE PRISONER Tv Seires 1967)
Steed works briefly with Hana Wilde ("The Superlative Seven" THE AVENGERS April 1967)
Daniel Briggs leaves IMF and Jim Phelps starts MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (1967)
Agent Sydney Farquhar meets James Bond and makes reference to John Drake, Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin ( SPY WITH A COLD NOSE movie 1967)
THE PRISONER ends (1967)
CASINO ROYALE movie (1967) Dr Jason Love impersonates James Bond after he disappears..
Commander Cunningham (M) and Max (Moneypenny) use James Bond's younger brother Neil as an agent (OPERATION KID BROTHER movie 1967)
Bill Fenn (Napoleon Solo) undertakes an assignment (THE VENETIAN AFFAIR movie 1967)
Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin meet Inspector Roger West, Sir Denis Nayland Smith, Fu Manchu, The Saint, John Steed , Emma Peel, Miss Marple, Father Brown, and Sherlock Holmes (using the name William Escott). James Bond is mentioned, as is The Saint's nemesis, Inspector Claude Eustace Teal. (The Rainbow Affair MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. novel May 1967
GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E. ends (1967)
Richard Benson apparently cripples Algernon Heathcote Smith (JUSTICE INC Betrayal 1968)
(Speculation: Benson in fact never injured or killed any of his former teammates but faked all of these events in a master plan to get them from the clutches of the ISD. This would seem to be confirmed out by the appearance of Nellie Grey in 1971. The reason for this error is that Andy Hefler who wrote JUSTICE INC was working from leaked ISD files)
Benson now heads the ISD and stops all illegal activities (JUSTICE INC Betrayal 1968)
Speculation: It appears that another group took over the role of the ISD in these things for convenience they will be referred to as the new ISD.
MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. ends (1968)
I SPY ends (1968)
Emma Peel leaves after her husband is found alive and Tara King replaces her as Steed's partner. it is unclear if she is the sister of Dr Mike King who has previously worked with Steed. Both agents are controlled by "Mother" THE AVENGERS (1968)
Charles Vine returns again (OK YEVTUSHENKO (SOMEONE HAS STOLEN OUR RUSSIAN SPY) movie 1968)
Cinnamon Carter and Rollin Hand leave the IMF, Paris starts (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 1969)
THE AVENGERS ends (1969)
Dana Lambert and Doug Start with IMF (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 1970)
GET SMART ends 1970
Steed reteams with Hannah Wild (Hana Wilde) (THE AVENGERS stage play 1971 )
Doug, Paris and Dana Lambert finish and Lisa Casey starts with IMF (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 1971)
Mimi Davis Starts with IMF (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 1972)
Steve Austin is injured and repaired by the OSI (Office of Scientific Investigation) (CYBORG novel and TV movie 1972)
Harry Rule (Napoleon Solo) opens a private detective agency in London, in partnership with Contessa di Continit and Paul Burchet known as the Protectors (THE PROTECTORS TV series 1972).
SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN starts TV series (1973)
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE ends (1973)
THE PROTECTORS finish (1973)
Steed again meets Tara King (French Champagne Commercial 1975)
John Drake is using the identity of Nicholas Brener and meets Detective Columbo (COLUMBO: IDENTITY CRISIS TV movie 1975)
M and Moneypenny ask for the assistance of French Secret Service when the Queen is kidnapped (BON BAISERS DE HONG KONG 1975)
Jaimie Sommers is injured and receives Bionics ("The Bionic Woman" Parts 1 &2 THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN May 1975)
BIONIC WOMAN starts when Jaimie Sommers begins solo operations TV Series (1976)
Steed is now partnered with Mike Gambit and Purdey (THE NEW AVENGERS TV series 1976)
Derek Flint returns in OUR MAN FLINT DEAD ON TARGET TV movie (1976)
Jaimie Sommers is almost sent to a branch of the Village and goes on the run. ("On the Run" THE BIONIC WOMAN 1976)
THE NEW AVENGERS finish (1977)
James Bond meets Minister of Defence Frederick Gray for the first time (JAMES BOND THE SPY WHO LOVED ME movie 1977)
Frederick Gray using the name of Rockwell makes use of his own agent Charles Bind (Mike Gambit) (NO. 1 OF THE SECRET SERVICE movie 1977)
M attends a great detective conference (THE STRANGE CASE OF THE END OF CIVILISATION AS WE KNOW IT TV movie 1977)
Cliff Collier (Barney) meets Medical Examiner Quincey (A Night to Raise the Dead - QUINCEY TV series 1978)
SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN ends (1978)
Bond meets Gray again (JAMES BOND AND MOONRAKER movie 1978)
Gray now using the name of Stockwell again sends Charles Bind (Mike Gambit) into action (NO 1: LICENSED TO LOVE AND KILL) movie 1979
Prince Zarkon meets James Bond, George Gideon of Scotland Yard; Sir Denis Nayland Smith and his old friend Dr. Petrie's son, Val Petrie; Bulldog Drummond; Doc Savage's aide Monk Mayfair; and Simon Templar (The Saint) at the London Cobalt Club . (HORROR WEARS BLUE novel 1979)
THE NUDE BOMB TV movie (1980) The return of Max Smart. Max has temporarily been assigned to P.I.T.S (Provisional Intelligence Tactical Service) his new Chief is Pete Thornton.
Finish THE BIONIC WOMAN (1980)
Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin are called back into action by their new supervisor Sir John Raleigh (Steed) J.B. (James Bond) also makes an appearance aiding Solo (THE RETURN OF THE MAN FROM UNCLE TV movie 1983)
Barney Collier meets the Jeffersons (Mission Incredible Pt 2 &3 - THE JEFFERSONS TV sereis 1983)
Pete Thornton has become a field agent for DXS (Department of External Services) and recruits Angus MacGyver. Start MACGYVER TV series (1985)
Mysterious former secret agent known only as "Ray" (this name is taken from the Corvette Stingray he drives) helps people in return for favours in later cases. (STINGRAY TV series starts 1986)
Speculation: "Ray" appears to another victim of the new ISD who has lost his identity)
Ray encounter a former evil anonymous spy master who bears an uncanny resemblance to Napoleon Solo but this appears to be a duplicate similar to the one seen in THE SPY WITH MY FACE. ("Abnormal Psyche" STINGRAY 1986)
General Hunt Stockwell (Solo) takes control of the A Team (1986 -7 season of THE A TEAM TV series)
Ivan Triggoron (Illya) Stockwell's old partner appears and has been brainwashed into killing Stockwell. Believed dead (could be misinformation to confound his brain washers) ( Say UNCLE Affair THE A TEAM 1986)
Both Pete and Mac transfer to the Phoenix Foundation (MACGYVER 1987)
THE RETURN OF THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN AND THE BIONIC WOMAN TV movie(1987) Steve Austin and Jaimie Sommers return to action.
finish STINGRAY (1987)
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE starts TV series (1988) Jim Phelps, Nicholas Black, Max Harte, Casey Randall, Grant Collier.
Death of Casey Randall who is replaced by Shannon Reed (1989)
James Bond is using the code name J ("Diamond aren't forever" ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS TV series 1989)
GET SMART AGAIN TV movie (1989) Return of Max Smart and 99
BIONIC SHOWDOWN TV movie (1989) Steve Austin and Jaimie Sommers
Charles Bind (Mike Gambit) returns (NO. 1 GUN movie 1990)
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE ends (1990)
High School student Michael Corbin is mistaken for a CIA agent of the same name who is being brought in to replace a dead agent Blade (it is unclear if this is Richard Blade who was mentioned in the other section). He receives an assignment from "Mother" (not the one who controlled Steed but rather his successor to the code name) Corbin is outfitted for this task by Q Branch. IF LOOKS COULD KILL movie (1991)
Derek Flint using the name George Caplan works with Hudson Hawk (HUDSON HAWK movie 1991)
Finish MACGYVER (1992)
Rykker (Solo), Steadman (Steed) and Sterling (the Saint) meet Caine and his son Peter . Peter refers to the group as a geriatric A Team showing his awareness of Solo's involvement with that team (Dragonswing 1 & 2- KUNG FU: THE LEGEND CONTINUES TV series 1993)
MacGyver Returns in MACGYVER:THE LOST TREASURE OF ATLANTIS TV movie (1994)
Kelly Robinson and Alexander Scott return, Their children Bennet Robinson and Nicole Scott are now agents for the SSA (Secret Service Agency) I SPY RETURNS (TV movie 1994)
BIONIC EVER AFTER TV movie (1994) Steve Austin and Jaimie Sommers
MACGYVER: TRAIL TO DOOMSDAY TV movie (1994)
Photographer Thomas Veil goes to dinner with his wife after taking a photo "Hidden Agenda". Whilst he is in the toilet his wife disappears and all patrons of the restaurant don't remember seeing her or him. He has no been stripped of his identity. This starts the events of NOWHERE MAN TV series (1995)
(Speculation given the similarity of the stories between Richard Benson and Thomas Veil it appears that he is victim to the new ISD)
Thomas Veil discovers the town of New Phoenix which appears to be an abandoned Village where others who have lost their identity hide, but still uses all the security devices "Paradise on your Doorstep" NOWHERE MAN (1995)
Speculation: It appears the ISD and it successor also controlled the Villages.
GET SMART (TV series 1995) Max Smart, Agent 99, Zach Smart (son of Max and 99) Agent 66
GET SMART finishes (1995)
Cinnamon Carter, Alexander Drake (Solo), John (John Steed), Dane Travis (Kelly Robinson), Jim Kessler (Grant Collier) all meet Dr Sloan. Drake is apparently murdered by Kessler in an IMF operation to smoke out a mole. (Discards - DIAGNOSIS MURDER TV series 1997) (note despite airing after the first Mission Impossible film this must take place first)
(Speculation: At some point in the past six years Jim Phelps has been captured and replaced by an enemy agent. "Phelps" wife Claire is another enemy agent and the couple are placed in the IMF as moles)
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE movie (1996) "Jim Phelps", Claire Phelps, Ethan Hunt, Hannah, Sarah Norman, Jack Keifer as well as disavowed agents Luthor Stickwell and Franz Kreiger. Death of all agents except Hunt and Stickwell. Stickwell gains avowed status.
Finish NOWHERE MAN (1996)
Steed is on assignment to protect Oasis ("Don't look back in anger" video clip 1996)
Mr Black (Steed) and Mr White (Willy Armitage) report the death of an agent to E.C.H.O. (Emergency Counter Hostilities Organisation) which causes the pairing of Lorne Cash and Max London. Kelly Robinson is seen at the end of the episode threatening to blow up Statue of Liberty in what is probably a training exercise E.C.H.O is later revealed to have their headquarters in the old U.N.C.L.E. headquarters under Del Florino's tailor shop which the agents call Uncle Solo's (Why Spy? -SPY GAME TV series 1997)
Finish SPY GAME (1997)
Jerry Fletcher mentions the IMF (Impossible Missions Force) to Alice Sutton. During the hunt for Fletcher an unnamed good agent remarks to Sutton that, "In the intelligence community, we're the Uncles nobody talks about." CONSPIRACY THEORY movie 1997
Mr Chapel establishes VENGEANCE UNLIMITED (TV series 1998)
(Speculation given the similarity of M.O. it appears that Chapel is a former member of the IMF. He also appears to have been aware of Stingray and copies his system of favours. It is possible that he is also victim to the new ISD. His use of Vengeance Unlimited as a business name suggest an awareness of Benson's Justice Inc.)
VENGEANCE UNLIMITED finish (1998)
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2 film (2000) Return of Ethan Hunt and Luthor Stickwell. They are joined Aussie agent Billy Bains.
RESOURCES USED BUT NOT REFERENCED
THE INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE (This includes the links to episode guides, etc)
Win Eckert AN EXPANSION OF PHILIP JOSÉ FARMER'S WOLD NEWTON UNIVERSE (the whole site was very helpful but THE AVENGER CHRONOLOGY and JAMES BOND CHRONOLOGY were especially so)
Dennis Power THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE WOLD NEWTON UNIVERSE
Jeff Rovin ADVENTURE HEROES
Julian Symons BLOODY MURDER
Dilys Winn MURDER INK and MURDERESS INK
Donald McCormick WHO'S WHO IN SPY FICTION
Thanks to Dennis, Win, Mark and the rest of the group for their support, suggestions and advice
Return to the Wold Newton Chronicles.
All rights reserved. The text of this article is copyright 2000 by the author, Brad Mengel. No copying or reproduction of this article or any portions thereof in any form whatsoever is permitted without prior written permission and consent of the authors