Eric Roberts (spy)

Eric Arthur Roberts
Born	Template:Birth date Wivelsfield, East Sussex, England
Died	December 17, 1972(1972-12-17) (aged 65)
Occupation(s)	MI5 operative, intelligence officer
Years active	1920s–1956
Known for	MI5 undercover work during World War II as "Jack King"

Eric Arthur Roberts (born 18 June 1907 – died 17 or 18 December 1972) served as an MI5 operative throughout the Second World War, adopting the cover identity Jack King. By masquerading as a Gestapo officer and penetrating UK fascist organizations, Roberts played a key role in obstructing the flow of critical intelligence to Germany. Following the conflict, he remained active within British intelligence circles, notably stationed in Vienna during a time when concerns about double agents such as the Cambridge spy ring were prominent.

Within MI5, Roberts encountered difficulties linked to his social origins and found that administrative assignments did not suit him as well as operational fieldwork. His professional life inspired the biography Agent Jack (2018) by Robert Hutton, along with the novels Our Friends In Berlin by Anthony Quinn and Transcription by Kate Atkinson.

Background

Born in Wivelsfield, East Sussex, in June 1907, Roberts was the son of Percival Arthur Garfield Roberts and Maud (née Green). By 1911, his family had relocated to Penzance, Cornwall, where his father was employed by the Western Union Cable Company. He attended a grammar school, became fluent in Spanish and acquired some knowledge of German, traveling to Germany in both 1932 and 1934. In spring 1934, he married Alice Lilian Audrey Sprague, daughter of railway civil engineer William Sprague. The couple later made their home in Epsom, Surrey.

MI5 activities prior to and during the Second World War

During the 1920s, Roberts was recruited by MI5 spymaster Maxwell Knight and tasked with infiltrating communist as well as fascist organizations, including the British Union of Fascists throughout the 1930s. His daytime employment was as a clerk at the Westminster Bank in central London. When called upon for wartime service, his supervisors expressed doubts about whether he was suited for such sensitive duties.

By 1942, operating covertly under the alias "Jack King," Roberts posed as a German Gestapo agent affiliated with Einsatzgruppe London, collecting intelligence on Nazi sympathizers residing in Britain. Although earlier assumptions suggested John Bingham held this role, MI5 records later confirmed Roberts’ involvement. His undercover work was both daring and highly effective.

In his guise as Jack King, Roberts maintained contact with six informants who supplied details about "scores and probably hundreds" of pro-Nazi individuals. Initially focused on Siemens-Schuckert (GB) Ltd, his mission's emphasis shifted after encountering Marita Perigoe—a British-born Nazi supporter married to a member of the British Union of Fascists—whom MI5 identified as a significant threat due to her anti-British stance.

Additional informants included Hilda Leech, who provided insights into jet aircraft development; astrologer Edgar Whitehead, who revealed information on amphibious tank experiments; and Hans Kohout, who disclosed classified British air defense strategies.

Roberts observed that certain fascists he encountered held vehemently anti-British views driven by antisemitism and Mosley’s propaganda machine, even endorsing German bombing campaigns against civilians.

His intelligence gathering successfully prevented critical secrets from reaching Germany and compiled a list of approximately 500 individuals under MI5 scrutiny.

Postwar espionage (MI6)

In 1947, Roberts was assigned to the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) in Vienna, where he operated under the guise of a British civil servant. He relayed modest yet precise intelligence to a Soviet contact named Jellinek, describing this information as "chicken feed," a phrase also popularized by spy novelist John le Carré. At that time, Vienna was a center of intense espionage activity, and Roberts encountered constant hazards, including a close call when evading capture by a Soviet ZiL vehicle during a secret rendezvous.

Although Roberts had notable accomplishments during the war, he was given a less challenging position afterward, which contributed to feelings of depression and waning respect from his MI5 and MI6 commanders.

Cambridge spy ring

Upon his return to London, Roberts shared his concerns with MI5 deputy director Guy Liddell about the possibility of an insider working as a mole within MI5. He suspected the individual was ideologically motivated and had gained access through social networks. After the unmasking of the Cambridge Five, including Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, and Kim Philby, Roberts—then residing in Canada—was interviewed by MI5's Barry Russell Jones about potential suspects. Roberts identified "Tony," referring to Anthony Blunt, whom he had long suspected since 1941.

In 1969, Roberts conveyed his dissatisfaction with MI5 in a comprehensive letter, expressing feelings of alienation due to his non-elite educational background and concerns that he was being monitored. MI5 responded by apologizing for the visit to Canada and assuring him that he was not considered a suspect.

Life after MI5

Roberts retired from MI5 in 1956 at the age of 49. He initially lived on the Isle of Wight before relocating to Canada, ultimately making his home in Ganges on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.

A freeman of the City of London, Roberts authored Salt Spring Saga in 1962.

He passed away on either 17 or 18 December 1972, leaving behind his wife Audrey, two sons—Maxwell and Peter—a daughter named Crista McDonald, three grandchildren, and two sisters.

See also

• Fifth Column (intelligence operation)
• John Bingham, 7th Baron Clanmorris