BLAO-BOX

Un bureau de renseignements tripartite à Bruxelles (anglo-franco-belge) dans l’entre-deux-guerres

author Etienne Verhoeyen
journal Cahiers inlichtingenstudies (ISSN: )
volume 2015
issue 5
section Artikelen
publicatie datum 26 juin 2015
langue French
pagina 85
abstract

In the interbellum, a tripartite intelligence desk functioned in Brussels. It was created by the British, French and Belgian intelligence services and was called BLAO (Bureau de Liaison de l’Armée d’Occupation). When the Allied occupation of Germany came to an end in 1930, the name was changed to BOX (Bureau of exchange). Very little is known about the operational conditions in which BOX functioned. A few Belgians are known to have been acting as informants. The cooperation came to an end in July 1939 by a decision of the Belgian government. This decision was motivated by the wish to follow a strictly neutralist policy, hoping that this attitude might keep Belgium out of a war to come. However, the cooperation between British and French intelligence went on.