"Christmas tree" files

20th-century files kept by the BBC August 2025 April 2022From the 1930s until the 1980s, the BBC kept a number of clandestine files on applicants accused by MI5 of political subversion, in particular those deemed to be communists or fellow travellers of communism, and also members of far-right organisations. They were marked with a distinctive upward-facing green arrow, which bore resemblance to a Christmas tree and had the effect of blacklisting a number of applicants for roles in the BBC. Knowledge of the files was made public in 1985 after being reported on by The Observer. By that time, the practice had ceased, but a number of files remained. They were destroyed in the 1990s following the end of the Cold War. Process From the late 1930s until 1984, MI5 stationed an intelligence officer at the BBC to vet editorial applicants. During World War II, those deemed to be political subversives, in particular suspected communists or fellow travellers of communism, were banned from working at the BBC. The personnel records of anyone suspicious were stamped with the legend "SECRET", a distinctively shaped green upward-facing arrow resembling a Christmas tree.Hollingsworth Mark Norton-Taylor Richard Blacklist: The Inside Story of Political Vetting 1988 Hogarth London 103 9780701208110 Only a handful of BBC staff knew what the tag meant.Smith David BBC banned communists in purge https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/mar/05/broadcasting.bbc The Guardian 5 March 2006 The practice was secret and was officially denied until it became public knowledge when The Observer wrote about the practice in 1985, following leaked information from Mike Fentiman. The officer in charge of vetting at that time was Ronnie Stonham.Leigh David Lashmar Paul The Blacklist in Room 105. Revealed: How MI5 vets BBC staff https://www.cambridgeclarion.org/press_cuttings/mi5.bbc.page9_obs_18aug1985.html The Observer 18 August 1985 9The vetting files: How the BBC kept out 'subversives' https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-43754737 BBC News 21 April 2018 5 May 2026 The "Christmas tree" scheme was dropped in 1984.The vetting files: How the BBC kept out 'subversives' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-43754737 BBC News 22 April 2018 Mike Fentiman claimed that the Christmas tree symbol was used because the Christmas carol "O Tannenbaum" had the same tune as the socialist song "The Red Flag".Thomas Colin Letters: Mike Fentiman obituary https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/apr/23/mike-fentiman-obituary-letters The Guardian 23 April 2017 However, in 2020, on the BBC programme QI, it was claimed that the "Christmas tree" symbol was merely an arrow, indicating that a file should be referred upwards.QI. Series K, Episode 14. (Kris Kringle). Hosted by Stephen Fry. Guests include Jo Brand, Phill Jupitus and Brendan O'Carroll. Released 24 December 2020. "The reason people thought it might be a Christmas tree was [because of the tune of 'O Tannenbaum' being the same as 'The Red Flag'] ... it isn't actually the reason ... it's actually just two arrows, meaning 'refer upstairs'".October 2024 Michael Hodder, who worked for the vetting unit in the 1980s, told The Times that all files were destroyed in the early 1990s as the Cold War ended.Spence Alex Secret MI5 files on BBC staff 'were shredded when Cold War ended' https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/secret-mi5-files-on-bbc-staff-were-shredded-when-cold-war-ended-pgjwl5gwhrg The Times subscription 12 August 2014 Categories Category A: MI5 "advises that the candidate should not be employed in a post offering direct opportunity to influence broadcast material for a subversive purpose". Category B: MI5 "advised" against employment "unless it is decided that other considerations are overriding". Category C: The individual should not be debarred unless the post gave "exceptional opportunity" for subversive activity. The BBC's policy was to not employ someone in Category A, although this did happen sometimes. Organisations on the blacklist The Communist Party of Great Britain The Socialist Workers Party The Workers Revolutionary Party The Militant tendency The National Front The British National Party Membership of these groups was not necessary for blacklisting; guilt by association was assumed. People who underwent vetting In 1940, Hugh Greene – who later became Director-General of the BBC – was one of the first to undergo its security vetting, as MI5 mistakenly suspected Greene was a communist. Other people who underwent vetting and gained the "Christmas tree" tag on their file included: Anna Ford Paul GambacciniHe says this was due to him being gay, rather than any political reasonPaul Gambaccini: The BBC marked me out for being gay. The Daily Telegraph. 23 July 2013. Renee Goddard deHoffrogge Ralf A Jewish Communist in Weimar Germany: The Life of Werner Scholem (1895–1940) 10 July 2017 BRILL 978-90-04-33726-8 588 https://books.google.com/books?id=JwEtDwAAQBAJ&dq=christmas+tree+communist+bbc&pg=PA588 John Goldschmidt Richard Gott Isabel Hilton Alaric Jacob Roland Joffé Joan Littlewood Ewan MacColl Stephen Peet Michael Rosen Paul Turner See also BBC controversies Orwell's list Executive Order 9835 References Category:Articles with quotation marks in the title Category:BBC controversies Category:Blacklisting in the United Kingdom Category:Communism in England Category:MI5