Left: Alex Allan's website photos feature a photograph of Allan windsurfing on the Thames and one of him as a young rock fan in 1969. Photos from UK Telegraph. (Check out Deadhead logo on the sail)
Ted Christian, who will soon take congress totally BY STORM, wants me to know that the new head of British intelligence is a Deadhead:
New intelligence chief reveals all on website
By Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor
Last Updated: 2:37am GMT 16/11/2007
The most senior British intelligence official, appointed yesterday to oversee MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, has a website revealing his home address, phone numbers and private photographs of himself, family and friends.Very amusing, and you undoubtedly know the line, Mr Allan: Please don't dominate the rap, Jack, if you got nothing new to say.
Alex Allan, 56, is the new head of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) with access to sensitive documents and information regarding anti-terrorist operations.
But the details on his website, described by a security official as "a serious breach", reveal him as a devoted fan of the American rock band Grateful Dead and a keen cyclist who once windsurfed to work in Westminster during a train strike.
The security breach, uncovered by The Daily Telegraph, raises questions over the vetting of senior Whitehall intelligence officials whose identities are publicly announced by the Government.
The website shows Mr Allan posing in a skin-tight cycling outfit as well as pictures of his 50th birthday party, complete with details of friends and family.
He is also seen in bowler and pinstripe windsurfing past Parliament in the early 1980s.
On the website, he says: "I first saw the Dead in the mud at Bickershawe in 1972 and was so knocked out....I have been a Deadhead ever since.
"I was Principal Private Secretary to the (British) Prime Minister, first John Major and then Tony Blair after the Election. It's the same job as 'Bernard' in Yes, Prime Minister for those who watched that!"
Mr Allan then goes on to detail other posts he held in Whitehall and his role as British High Commissioner to Australia from November 1997 to January 2000. The website also has transcripts of his speeches and details his wife's successful career as an artist.
Potentially more serious is the address of his west London house and his home and mobile telephone numbers. The Daily Telegraph has agreed not to publish further details. One security official said: "This is a very serious breach of security. Mr Allan is a target for terrorists and having this information in the public domain is a very naive move on his part. He may well now have to move."
Mr Allan replaces Sir Richard Mottram as chairman of the JIC.
Last month, The Daily Telegraph revealed that Sir Richard was to pick up the most generous pension package awarded to a Whitehall civil servant after retiring this month.
A spokesman for Mr Allan said he "didn't want to say anything" but would be removing personal information from the internet.
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Listening to: The Kinks - Interview
via FoxyTunes
