Britain's 10 best-kept secrets

[emad]

By Paula Dear and Martin Rosenbaum
BBC News


Britain's 10 oldest state secrets have been opened to the public after a freedom of information request from the BBC.

The files, closed by the Home Office for 100 years, have been disclosed in advance at the National Archives, following the use of the new Freedom of Information Act.

They had previously remained secret under the "Lord Chancellor's Instrument", a legal device that keeps files closed for a century. But following a review it was decided the files were not protected by any of the Act's exemptions.

They may not all appear at first to be controversial but behind each of those 10 secret files lies someone's story... and a piece of history.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4230733.stm

[Kolesar]

1. I was expecting quaint inns by the coast

[emad]

2. Good counter-intelliegnce story using titles such as:

1. CHILDREN KEPT AS 'DISREPUTABLE' PARENTS DEPORTED
2. 'LUNATIC'S' CONVICTION QUASHED
3. 'THE LESS SAID ABOUT THIS THE BETTER'
4. RELEASE OF CHILD KILLER
5. SISTERS DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
6. ITALIAN FEUD ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT
7. ROW OVER TELEGRAM BETTING
8. UNIONS DEMAND FAIR PLAY AND FAIR PAY
9. IMPERIAL NAME "QUITE OUT OF THE QUESTION"
10. POACHER'S SENTENCE CONFUSION
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4230733.stm

[theboss]

3. Wow...Britain is a boring place

I would hope the US's ten biggest secrets were "We have an amabassador on Planet Googoolex" and "There are tiny cameras in all the tv sets."

[Blue_Tires]

4. i was hoping to see that

Man Utd==The true team of satan

[TR Fan]

6. Almost

Chelsea = team of Russian mafia

[htuttle]

5. Hell, there's bigger secrets than these

What about the D-Notice on the Shayler affair, for example? You know, when MI-6 paid al Queda big bucks to assassinate Ghaddaffi in the 90's? That is a pretty big secret, I think.

:shrug:

[IronLionZion]

7. It can't be that big a secret if you know about it

:P

[htuttle]

10. But I'm not in Great Britain

If I were, I would not be able to read it in the papers due to the D-Notice.

[killbotfactory]

8. Those are lame secrets

I am disappointed

[RafterMan]

9. Weetabix is people!

These are lame.

Killing an Italian organ grinder makes the top 10 secrets? No wonder the Empire collapsed.