Home Office: Aliens Department: Operation Post Reports

Operation Post Reports Post Reports (OPRs) date from the late 1940s-early 1950s and are the result of an initiative to investigate foreign nationals living in Britain at the onset of the 'Cold War'. These individuals were required to report to the Aliens Office for an assessment of their potential risk to national security and these are the records of the interviews held at that time.

Each OPR consists of one (occasionally two) sheets of paper containing some or all of the following details: Home Office reference number; Port and date of arrival in Britain; name; date of birth; place of birth; nationality; passport number; Police registration number; landing conditions; address at time of interview.

This information is then followed by an assessment of the individual's security risk, often containing phrases that would be considered offensive today. Some OPRs list details of relatives with whom the subject may be in contact; these details are minimal, usually confined to a Christian name, occupation and town of residence.

The assessments were generally carried out by members of Special Branch; however, this is often not due to any expectations of or suspicions about the individual but because Special Branch officers were available at the time. A column on the left hand side of the reports states where copies were sent e.g. to the Home Office, police forces, criminal investigation units, the Security Services, county courts etc.

HO 481/1-510 appear to consist of two different sets of volumes (each set running A-Z), which have been intermingled and combined to form one sequence. Therefore, when searching for a surname, there is normally a chance of finding it in either of two volumes. There are usually about 200-400 reports in each volume. Names within volumes are usually, but not always, arranged alphabetically.

From 2017 Home Office

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