Another Missing Dimension? Foreign Languages in World War II Intelligence

Abstract

This article argues that foreign languages are another part of the ‘missing dimension’ of intelligence. By examining the role of linguists in Y stations and at Bletchley Park in the Second World War, the article explores the institutional language policies developed for intelligence, and the working practices of those with foreign language skills. The article suggests that certain issues raised by this case study might be usefully examined in other intelligence contexts: the ways in which foreign language requirements are officially represented, the problematics of foreignness for recruiters, the status and identities of language workers, and the implications of professional translation practice within an intelligence environment.