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Telegrams from Taylor (‘AD’) to SOE Headquarters, London, on topics including: the situation in southern Africa; the morale of individual SOE agents; reports on meetings with FM Jan Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa; the potential for expansion of SOE activity in southern Africa; difficult relations between SOE and SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) in southern Africa; the transfer of responsibility for SOE work in Angola to the South African Mission. See also 1/3/1 for telegrams from SOE Headquarters, London.

Telegrams between Taylor, ‘CD’ [Maj Gen Colin McVean Gubbins], ‘AD 4’ [Col Bickham Aldred Cowan Sweet-Escott] and ‘DU’ [Col Chapman Walker, Head of Special Operations Australia, SOA], on topics including: changes to the boundaries of South East Asia Command (SEAC) and SWPA; the future role and organisation of SOA; clandestine operations in the Dutch East Indies (DEI); intelligence sharing; a meeting in London between ‘BB100’ [Colin Mackenzie] and Prince Bernhard, Supreme Commander of the Netherlands Armed Forces, to discuss the possible deployment of Dutch forces in SEAC.

Telegrams to Taylor (‘AD’) from SOE Headquarters, London, on topics including: the situation in southern Africa; surveillance of Axis activities in Portuguese East Africa (PEA); a meeting between the British Ambassador to Lisbon and the Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio de Oliveira Salazar concerning recent attacks on Allied shipping off the coast of Portuguese East Africa; a meeting with FM Jan Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa, concerning SOE activities in the region; relations between SOE and SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) in southern Africa; Taylor’s proposals for future operations in southern Africa. See also 1/3/2 for Taylor’s replies.

Telegrams between Taylor (‘AD’) and personnel of the SOE West Africa Mission, Lagos, Nigeria, on topics including: the transfer of administrative personnel and wireless equipment from the West Africa Mission to the South Africa Mission; possible involvement of the West Africa Mission in the internal affairs of French West Africa; relations between SOE and SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) in western Africa; intelligence agents in Angola working with both the West Africa Mission and the South Africa mission.

Telegrams between Taylor (‘AD’), South Africa, and SOE personnel in Cairo, Egypt, on topics including: the deployment of an operative with expert knowledge of Hungary, named ‘Hindle’; the appointment of a new head, ‘WS’ [Lt Col A W Smith] taking over South Africa Mission from ‘DZ 4’ [Lt Col R L Broad]; air resources for the South Africa Mission; staff transfers and personnel recruitment.

Telegrams between SOE personnel in Durban and Cape Town, South Africa, on topics including the possibility of deploying personnel from French Indochina (FIC, now Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos) presently serving in South Africa and Madagascar on future SOE operations in French Indochina.

Papers relating to Taylor’s service as an SOE senior director, 1942-1945, including: correspondence, telegrams, reports and memoranda relating to Taylor’s tour of the Middle East and visit to South Africa as Director of Overseas Groups and Missions, Aug 1942 – Mar 1943; correspondence, notes and memoranda relating to a tour of India, Apr-Aug 1943; briefing notes on SOE operations in Yugoslavia, Greece and Albania, Oct-Dec 1943; two annotated maps of SOE missions in Greece and Yugoslavia, Oct 1943; correspondence, memoranda and other papers relating to SOE operations chiefly in East Asia and South East Asia, Sep 1943 – Dec 1944; correspondence, notes and memoranda relating to Taylor’s tour of India and South East Asia, Dec 1944 – Feb 1945; correspondence, memoranda and reports relating to SOE activities in East Asia and South East Asia, Feb-Oct 1945; telegrams relating to Taylor’s tour of the South West Pacific Area (SWPA), May – Jul 1945; biographical information about Taylor, including a privately printed account of his World War Two career by his son, Jeremy Taylor, 2014; a diagram of the staffing structure of the SOE directorates, 1943; copy papers relating to SOE operations, 1941-1944, in Yugoslavia and Bulgaria.

Briefing notes on SOE operations in Yugoslavia, Greece and Albania, including locations, code names, personnel, leadership, and signals equipment.

Correspondence and memoranda chiefly to and from ‘BB100’ [Colin Mackenzie], at SOE London Headquarters during Taylor’s tour of USA and Australia, on subjects including: resistance groups in French Indochina (FIC), Burma, Malay and Siam (Thailand); Allied relations with Chinese Communists; the future of SOA (Special Operations Australia); the possibly deployment of Dutch troops with Force 136 in South East Asia (SEA); the post-war future of SOE personnel and Taylor’s own demobilisation; the Korean National Revolutionary Party; the proposed release of Axis prisoners of war captured after the 1943 Operation Longshanks (also known as Operation Creek, for the sabotage of Axis shipping off the coast of Goa, India), suggesting that the true nature of the covert operation should not be revealed to the Foreign Office; Anglo-French co-operation in FIC, 1943-1945.

Reports, telegrams and memoranda chiefly relating to a visit by Taylor (code name ‘AD’) to Turkey as Director of Overseas Groups and Missions, SOE, December 1942, and preparations for a visit to South Africa, January 1943. File includes: a directive summarising the purpose and organisation of SOE activities in East Africa; a report on SOE organisations in South and East Africa by ‘DZ 4’ [Lt Col R L Broad] two memoranda by ‘AD/U’ [William Johnston ‘Tony’ Keswick] on SOE personnel in the Durban Mission; letters from ‘WS’ [Lt Col A W Smith], relating to the command of the Durban Mission and the development of special operations in Portuguese East Africa, including possible SOE anti-submarine activities; reports by Taylor, with related correspondence, concerning his visit to the SOE office, Turkey, including SOE operations in Turkey, the morale of SOE personnel, relations with the SOE Cairo office, negotiations with the Turkish government over the sale of chromite (used in the production of chrome) to Germany, the Goeland Company (a fictitious company created by the British government to reduce German access to Danube shipping), potential demolition targets in Turkey in the event of Axis occupation, and possible future actions of the Turkish government; letters by Taylor relating to SOE operations in Hungary, the Hungary Section in London, the deployment of an operative with expert knowledge of Hungary, named ‘Hindle’, and negotiations with OSS (Office of Strategic Services, the US counterpart to SOE) over possible co-operation in the Middle East.

Correspondence, memoranda, and reports relating to a visit to South Africa by Taylor (‘AD’), including: letter from ‘WS’ [Lt Col A W Smith], Cape Town, relating to concerns over the security and possible future of the SOE Mission in South Africa; correspondence and memoranda relating to co-operation with SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) in West Africa and the problematic behaviour of ‘DZ’ [Lt Col J S E Todd]; letters from ‘AD 4’ [Col Bickham Aldred Cowan Sweet-Escott], London, relating to recent events in London, North Africa, West Africa and the Middle East, and the Arab News Agency (ANA); correspondence concerning negotiations with SIS about SOE/SIS co-operation in southern Africa; correspondence on the deployment of an operative with expert knowledge of Hungary, named ‘Hindle’, in Cairo; reports and correspondence relating to Taylor's negotiations with FM Jan Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa, on the development of the SOE East Africa Mission based in South Africa. Also a list of the names, code names and locations of present and former personnel of the SOE East Africa Mission, notes by Taylor on SOE hierarchy and organisation, and a report by ‘DFA’ to ‘D/Fin’, Chief Financial Officer, SOE [Wing Cdr John Venner], on the accounts of the SOE offices in Tehran and Baghdad.

Memoranda and related papers concerning SOE policy, organisation, personnel and equipment chiefly in South East Asia, South Asia, East Asia and Australia. File includes: a memorandum on the air and naval resources available for operations in Malaya (Malaysia) and SOE relations with the Army in India; a letter detailing the poor relations between the SAM Mission (to improve Anglo-Russian relations) and the SOE London Headquarters; a memorandum on the deployment of Welfreighters (customised marine craft) in East Asia; brief communiques relating to Operation HORNBILL (to use Chinese junks and ‘Sleeping Beauty’ motorised submersible canoes to sabotage Japanese operations in South East Asia); instructions and memoranda on the supply of SOE personnel and specialised naval equipment to Australia; papers relating to Dutch personnel operating within the Inter-Allied Services Department (ISD, used as a cover name for Special Operations Australia, SOA); notes on SOE naval requirements in East Asia and South East Asia.

Memoranda and notes relating to SOE policy, organisation, protocols, equipment, personnel and operations in East Asia and South East Asia (‘SEA’) and elsewhere. File includes memoranda on Maryland (SOE operations in Italy), including the deployment of Soviet MKVD personnel in Italy; telegrams on diamond smuggling; problems with the potential SOE deployment of Soviet POWs in Axis territory; notes on the relationship between SOA (Special Operations Australia) and SOE; training schedule and notes for Operation Oblivion, to drop Chinese-Canadian agents into Japanese-occupied China.

Memoranda and related papers on SOE operations, resources and requirements, in South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia, Australia and elsewhere. File includes: memorandum on the organisation of naval sections in India and Australia; memoranda and telegrams relating to the planning and equipping of Operation Hornbill (to use Chinese junks and ‘Sleeping Beauty’ motorised submersible canoes to sabotage Japanese operations in South East Asia); memoranda on the possible impact of the Allied invasion of France upon Japanese policy in French Indochina (FIC); negotiations with OSS (the US Office of Strategic Services) over operations in Burma (Myanmar), and OSS China’s infringement of the agreed boundary line between OSS and SOE spheres of operation at the Taping River.

Memoranda and related papers on SOE operations, organisation, personnel, policy and equipment in South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia, Australia and elsewhere. File includes: a letter to Taylor from Moshe Shertok, of the Jewish Agency for Palestine (later Moshe Sharett, Prime Minister of Israel, 1954-1955), enclosing copy correspondence between Shertok and Randolph Churchill on proposals to assist and train Jewish resistance fighters in eastern Europe; a letter from Taylor to Cdr Ian Fleming, Naval Intelligence, requesting assistance with the surreptitious acquisition of information on French Indochina (FIC) in Paris; memorandum on relations between the Globe News Agency and Reuters News Agency in India and the Middle East; letter from Taylor to Fleming concerning relations between SOE, SOA (Special Operations Australia) and the US High Command; letter from Taylor to ‘FO’ [G Young], concerning SOE and OSS (the US Office of Strategic Services) relations in Burma (Myanmar); discussion of camouflage provision in India; equipment and training for SOE naval operations, Australia; request for French submarines to operate off French Indochina; an exchange between Taylor and Hubertus van Mook, Acting Governor General of the Dutch East Indies concerning special forces operations in the South West Pacific Area (‘SWPA’) and the work of Maj Egerton Mott; a memorandum on the recruitment of Soviet POWs for work in France; memorandum on Operation Belief, to drop Francois de Langlade into French Indochina to make contact with Vichy French personnel sympathetic to the Allies, and the subsequent complaints from OSS; brief telegram on plans to arm Czech partisans, and consequent problems with the SAM Mission to the USSR.