A Metropolitan Police Special Branch file reporting to MI5 on photographer Lee Miller.  Published here by kind permission of The National Archives.

“Glamorous socialites were spied on by MI5″ – The Guardian.

“British spies kept tabs on photographer Lee Miller” – International Herald Tribune.

“The Lee Miller file” – Today Programme, BBC Radio 4.

Over the last few days I have been reading Lee Miller’s security file and without doubt it is fascinating stuff. You can download the full file here from The National Archives for free.

After working on an investigation about police surveillance for The Guardian, which included surveillance of photographers, I wonder how many years it will take the people in our investigation to get to see their own files?

Kent police said this week that it was wrong of them to film journalists working and the National Union of Journalists said it would like all the files of journalists destroyed.

Publication: Lead story of The Guardian, 7 March 2009, plus pages 14 and 15.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 15.06.08. A police photographer, in full riot gear films and photographs protesters, during a demonstration against George W Bush during the U.S President’s visit to London on Sunday 15 June 2008, London, England.  Protesters had been “banned” by the police from demonstrating outside 10 Downing Street to protest against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

“Revealed: police databank on thousands of protesters” – The Guardian.

“Caught on film and stored on database: how police keep tabs on activists” – The Guardian.

“Under surveillance: police target environmental protesters and journalists” – The Guardian.

“Police surveillance: ‘They’re focusing on the press more than the protesters’” – The Guardian.

For the last 3 months I have been working on an investigation about police surveillance of journalists and protesters for The Guardian with Paul Lewis.  Click on the links above to see what we found out.