Introduction
Sir Michael Bowen Hanley KCB (24 February 1918 - 1 January 2001) was director general (DG) of MI5, the United Kingdom's internal security service, from 1972 to 1978.
Career
Educated at Sedbergh School and Queen's College, Oxford where he read History, Hanley served in the Royal Artillery during World War II and was subsequently posted to the Joint Allied Intelligence Centre in Budapest. He rose through the grades to be Deputy Director-General of MI5. He was Director-General of MI5 from 1972 to 1978.
The BBC's current affairs program Panorama reported that Hanley was investigated as part of the Elm Guest House child abuse scandal, which involved senior MPs and security personnel within the Operation Midland investigation, and was accused of sexual assault by a Metropolitan Police informant.