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Licence to kill (concept)

Licence granted by a government

A licence to kill, or license to kill in American English, is a licence granted by a government or government agency to a particular operative or employee to initiate the use of lethal force in the delivery of their objectives. The initiation of lethal force is in contrast to the use of lethal force in self-defence or the protection of life. It is well known as a literary device used in espionage fiction, particularly in the James Bond stories.

History

The legitimacy of deadly force usage from country to country is generally controlled by statute, particular and direct executive orders, the common law, or rules of engagement.

Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of the UK Secret Intelligence Service MI6, testified in court as part of the 2007–2008 Diana, Princess of Wales Inquest in agreement with a statement that the SIS (MI6) could only use force "likely to cause injury" if specially authorized to do so by the UK Foreign Secretary.{{cite web |access-date=8 September 2020 |archive-date=21 May 2008 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20080521150227/http://www.scottbaker-inquests.gov.uk/hearing_transcripts/200208am.htm |url-status=bot: unknown |access-date=8 September 2020 |archive-date=21 May 2008 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20080521150227/http://www.scottbaker-inquests.gov.uk/hearing_transcripts/200208am.htm |url-status=bot: unknown

Former MI6 agent Matthew Dunn stated that MI6 agents do not need a licence to kill as a spy's primary job is to violate the law in other countries, and if an agent is compromised, they are at the mercy of the authorities of that country.

Popular culture

The idea of a licence to kill is popularly known from the James Bond novels and films, where it is signified by the "00" (Double O) designation given to the agents in the series who are licensed to kill; Bond himself is famously agent 007.

References

"Real life James Bond – I never got the girl or the gadgets". Fox News.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

mi6 james-bond homicide assassinations

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