John S. Bennett

Sir John Still Bennett, CBE, CVO (22 March 1911 – 10 December 1970) was a British lawyer, career diplomat and agent for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) Yugoslav section and the British Information Services during World War II. Following the war he served in several diplomatic posts around the world before serving as High Commissioner to Barbados.^[2]

Sir John S. Bennett CBE CVO
Born	John Still Bennett (1911-03-22)22 March 1911
Died	10 December 1970(1970-12-10) (aged 59)
Education	Clifton College, Peterhouse, Cambridge
Employer(s)	Ministry of Information Foreign Office
Spouse	Danica Ribnikar ​ (m. 1943)​
Relatives	Vladislav F. Ribnikar (father-in-law)
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	Intelligence
Years of service	1939–1943
Rank	Major[1]
Unit	Special Operations Executive (SOE)
Battles / wars	Second World War

Early life and career

John Still Bennett was born on 22 March 1911.^[3][4] He was educated at Clifton College and Peterhouse, Cambridge.^[5] In 1936 Bennett qualified as a barrister,^[2] that same year he stood as a Labour candidate against Neville Chamberlain.^[5][6]

Second World War service

In 1939, he joined Section D, a branch of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) that had been established the year before.^[7]

Special Operations Executive's Yugoslav section

In June 1940, Bennett was sent to Belgrade, Yugoslavia,^[7] under diplomatic cover as a consular clerk to the British Legation.^[8] He worked as an assistant to William Bailey, the head of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) Liaison Mission.^[5] In September 1940, Section D was absorbed by Special Operations Executive and renamed SO 2; new agents were brought in, among them Julian Amery and Peter Boughey.^[9]

In October 1940, Bennett was appointed principal assistant to the new SOE head in Belgrade Tom Masterson, acting under the cover of legation's First Secretary. Problems arose as British influence was constrained by the absence of close coordination and cooperation between Section D/SOE and the British Legation in Belgrade.^[10]

Following the German invasion in April 1941, Bennett was appointed head of SOE's Yugoslav section. First in Istanbul then based at General Headquarters in Cairo,^[5] he worked under Director of Special Operations and later Director of Military Intelligence Lieutenant Colonel Terence Airey. In the course of his mission, Bennett interviewed KGB agent James Klugmann who had joined SOE as a private soldier from Pioneer Corps and was instrumental in recruiting the soviet spies known as the Cambridge Five.^[11][12] The bureau reported to SOE Balkan affairs senior officers in London: James Pearson, Head of the Balkan and Middle East Desk; and Colonel Edward Boxshall.^[13] In September 1941 as senior officer on Yugoslav affairs he was involved in organising Operation Bullseye.^[14] Bennett was head of SOE's Yugoslav section in Cairo until August 1942, the section included Basil Davidson and Bill Deakin as well as Captain Hugh Seton-Watson and Lieutenant Klugmann.^[1]

Bennett left SOE to become Director of the British Information Services, on behalf of the Ministry of Information in Istanbul. He stayed in Istanbul from 1943 to 1946.^[4]

Post war diplomatic service

In 1946 he was posted to Bucharest, Romania (1946–48) as First Secretary (Information) and Stockholm, Sweden (1949–52).^[4] He was then appointed Consul at Houston, US in 1952, becoming Acting Consul-General in 1953 and being promoted to Officer Grade 2 in 1954.^[15] Bennett left the US in 1955 before being transferred to Khorramshahr, Iran where he served as Consul from 1955 to 1959.^[15]

Bennett then relocated to Singapore where he was appointed Regional Information Officer and promoted to Counsellor (1959–61) before serving a new position in Bangkok (1961–63).^[4] In 1964 the Foreign Office appointed him Ambassador to Burundi and Rwanda, (1964–1966)^[16] then in 1966 High Commissioner to Barbados (1966–1970).^[17] Bennett died on 10 December 1970.^[2]

Honours

Bennett was made Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 1 January 1959,^[4] he was knighted in the New Year Honours of 1963 receiving a CBE.^[10]

Personal life

Bennett married Serbian journalist Danica Ribnikar in 1943,^[4] daughter of Vladislav F. Ribnikar and Milica "Milka" Čolak-Antić,^[18] she died in 1967.^[19]

References

1. Trew, S. (1998). Britain, Mihailovic and the Chetniks, 1941–42. Studies in Military and Strategic History. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-230-38976-2.
2. "Bennett, John Still, (22 March 1911–10 Dec. 1970), High Commissioner in Barbados, since 1966". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 22 March 1911. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
3. "John Still BENNETT – born 22 March 1911". The National Archives. 18 December 2008.
4. The Diplomatic Service List. H.M. Stationery Office. 1966. p. 147.
5. Atkin, M. (2017). Section D for Destruction: Forerunner of SOE: The Story of Section D of the Secret Intelligence Service. Pen & Sword Books. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-4738-9262-0. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
6. West, N. (2019). Secret War: The Story of SOE, Britain's Wartime Sabotage Organisation. Pen & Sword Books. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-5267-5567-4.
7. Trew, S. (1998). Britain, Mihailovic and the Chetniks, 1941–42. Studies in Military and Strategic History. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-230-38976-2. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
8. Bailey, R. (2011). The Wildest Province: SOE in the Land of the Eagle. Random House. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-4464-9954-2. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
9. Trew, S. (1998). Britain, Mihailovic and the Chetniks, 1941–42. Studies in Military and Strategic History. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-230-38976-2.
10. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/112802.pdf
11. Wylie, N. (2006). The Politics and Strategy of Clandestine War: Special Operations Executive, 1940–1946. Studies in Intelligence. Taylor & Francis. p. 75. ISBN 978-1-134-16650-3. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
12. Andrew, C.; Mitrokhin, V. (2015). The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 978-0-14-196646-5. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
13. West, N. (2019). Secret War: The Story of SOE, Britain's Wartime Sabotage Organisation. Pen & Sword Books. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-5267-5567-4. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
14. Trew, S. (1998). Britain, Mihailovic and the Chetniks, 1941–42. Studies in Military and Strategic History. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 301. ISBN 978-0-230-38976-2.
15. Great Britain. Foreign Office (1964). The Foreign Office List and Diplomatic and Consular Year Book for ... Harrison and Sons. p. 127.
16. "British Diplomats Directory: Part 3 of 4, Burundi and Rwanda". Issuu. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
17. "British Diplomats Directory: Part 3 of 4, Barbados". Issuu. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
18. Bokan, D. (2008). Politika: mit, hronika, enciklopedija (in Croatian). Politika. p. 54. ISBN 978-86-7607-091-6. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
19. Addison, H.R.; Oakes, C.H.; Lawson, W.J.; Sladen, D.B.W. (1968). Who's who. A. & C. Black. p. 231. Retrieved 4 July 2023.

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by	Consul General in Houston, US 1952–54	Succeeded by
Preceded by	Consul General in Khorramshahr, Iran 1955–59	Succeeded by
Preceded by	Ambassador to Burundi and to Rwanda 1964–1966	Succeeded by
Preceded by n/a	British High Commissioner to Barbados 1966–1970	Succeeded by David Roberts