MI6’s Secret ‘Multi-Million Pound’ Cold War Slush Fund

MI6 was supposed to be funded by a secret vote of Parliament and under the political control of the foreign secretary. "The use of such unofficial reserves by "C" without the prior consent of the Foreign Office, could enable him to carry out policies other than those approved by the Foreign Office and without their knowledge. Clearly this was unlikely to happen, but it would be wrong not to preserve against it," the document records.