The Character and Organization of the Admiralty Operational Intelligence Centre during the Second World War

Abstract

By early 1943 the OIC was almost fully developed, and had long been a vital part of the naval war effort. The staff processed a mass of intelligence, including decrypts from Bletchley Park, and passed it on as necessary for operational exploitation, often accompanied by good advice. The work was hectic and highly demanding, made more difficult by the cramped conditions of the offices, in the Admiralty `Citadel'. The OIC had been set up in 1937, but only the sinking of Glorious in 1940 finally consolidated its position. It depended increasingly on pay officers, the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and civilian graduates, including women, and also in other ways was anomalous from the prewar naval staff point of view, even if it never became as `long hair' as Bletchley Park. The war forced the OIC to adapt, but it did not expand greatly after 1940. The chief personnel followed a cherished naval tradition, and strove to do their job with the resources at hand. They were encouraged to do this by restrictions on recruitment and space, but there was also the brief that the best results were gained by depending on a comparatively small number of first-class people, and overloading them with work.