Commonwealth Security Service
CSS · Security Service
March 1941 – 1946
Wartime civil security intelligence service, responsible for counter-espionage, protective security and surveillance of enemy aliens and suspected subversives during the Second World War.
How it came into existence
Set up in the Attorney-General's portfolio in March 1941, with Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Longfield Lloyd as director, to coordinate civil security that had been divided between the Investigation Branch, military intelligence and state police; from 1942 it was headed by a Director-General of Security, Brigadier William Simpson.
- Civil security intelligence
Established within the Attorney-General's portfolio.
How it ended
Absorbed in 1946 into the Commonwealth Investigation Service, formed by reorganising and renaming the Investigation Branch of the Attorney-General's Department.
- Security intelligence
Main functions
- Wartime counter-espionage
- Surveillance of enemy aliens and suspected subversives
- Protective security of vital installations
- Security vetting
Where it sits
Last in the portfolio of Attorney-General's Department.
Lineage
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Sources
Government records and websites
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.