# John S. Bennett

Sir John Still Bennett, CBE, CVO (22 March 1911 – 10 December 1970) was a British lawyer, diplomat, and wartime intelligence officer. During the Second World War, he served in the Special Operations Executive's (SOE) Yugoslav section coordinating covert operations against Axis forces in the Balkans.
Following the war, Bennett pursued a distinguished career in diplomacy, holding posts across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. His later roles included serving as the United Kingdom's High Commissioner to Barbados (1966–1970) and Ambassador to Burundi and Rwanda (1964–1966). Knighted in 1963 for his contributions to diplomacy and intelligence, Bennett remains notable for his pivotal role in clandestine wartime efforts and post-war international relations.

## Early life and career

John Still Bennett was born on 22 March 1911. He was educated at Clifton College and Peterhouse, Cambridge. In 1936 Bennett qualified as a barrister, that same year he stood as a Labour candidate against Neville Chamberlain.

## Second World War service

In 1939, Bennett joined Section D, a branch of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) that had been established the year before.

### Special Operations Executive's Yugoslav section

In June 1940, Bennett was deployed to Belgrade, Yugoslavia, where he operated under diplomatic cover as a consular clerk at the British Legation. He served as an assistant to William Bailey, the head of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) Liaison Mission. By September 1940, Section D had been absorbed into the SOE and renamed SO 2, with new agents such as Julian Amery and Peter Boughey joining the organisation.
In October 1940, Bennett was promoted to principal assistant to Tom Masterson, the newly appointed SOE head in Belgrade. Operating under the guise of the legation's First Secretary, Bennett faced challenges arising from limited coordination between the SOE and the British Legation in Belgrade, which constrained British influence in the region.
After the German invasion in April 1941, Bennett was appointed head of the SOE's Yugoslav section. Initially based in Istanbul and later at General Headquarters in Cairo, he worked under Lieutenant Colonel Terence Airey, Director of Special Operations and later Director of Military Intelligence. During his tenure, Bennett conducted an interview with KGB agent James Klugmann, who had joined the SOE from the Pioneer Corps. Klugmann would later become a key recruiter for the Soviet espionage group known as the Cambridge Five. The SOE Yugoslav section reported to senior officers in London, including James Pearson, Head of the Balkan and Middle East Desk, and Colonel Edward Boxshall. In September 1941, as a senior officer for Yugoslav affairs, Bennett played a role in organising Operation Bullseye, the first SOE mission to Yugoslavia following its occupation by Axis forces. The mission, led by Capt. D.T. Bill Hudson, and three Royal Yugoslav Army (RYA) officers, aimed to assess the situation in Yugoslavia and coordinate all resistance forces in the region. Bennett continued to lead the SOE's Yugoslav section in Cairo until August 1942, working alongside colleagues such as Basil Davidson Bill Deakin, Captain Hugh Seton-Watson and Lieutenant Klugmann.
Bennett later left the SOE to serve as Director of the British Information Services, representing the Ministry of Information in Istanbul. He held this position from 1943 to 1946.

## Post-War Diplomatic Service

In 1946, Bennett began his post-war diplomatic career with an appointment to Bucharest, Romania, where he served as First Secretary (Information) from 1946 to 1948. He was later posted to Stockholm, Sweden, from 1949 to 1952.
In 1952, Bennett was appointed Consul at Houston, United States. He assumed the role of Acting Consul-General in 1953 and was promoted to Officer Grade 2 in 1954. He departed the United States in 1955 and was subsequently transferred to Khorramshahr, Iran where he served as Consul from 1955 to 1959.
Bennett's next assignment was in Singapore, where he was appointed Regional Information Officer and promoted to the rank of Counsellor from 1959 to 1961. Following this, he held a new diplomatic position in Bangkok from 1961 to 1963. In 1964, the Foreign Office appointed him Ambassador to Burundi and Rwanda, a position he held until 1966. He then served as High Commissioner to Barbados from 1966 until his death in 1970.

## Honours

Bennett was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 1 January 1959, he was later knighted in the 1963 New Year Honours, receiving a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

## Personal life

Bennett married Serbian journalist Danica Ribnikar in 1943. She was the daughter of Vladislav F. Ribnikar and Milica "Milka" Čolak-Antić, a descendant of Vojvoda Čolak-Anta Simeonović, she died tragically in 1967.