He was one of the greatest comic stars of his age and his films are still much loved today, but MI5 have today revealed that they once thought Charlie Chaplin might be a Communist spy. Back in the early Fifties, when Chaplin was banned from visiting the US (an order that would later be withdrawn), J Edgar Hoover's FBI put pressure on the British agency to uncover evidence that might lead to his arrest.
Aside from the sympathy for the poor and the working class that was often central to Chaplin's work, he was accused of giving money to Communist front organisations, though MI5 were never able to prove this. Even his sex life came under scrutiny. A notorious ladies' man, Chaplin was thought to have procured an abortion for one of his lovers and to have been ijvolved in cases where the paternity of children was disputed. Yet the only real mystery MI5's spies could find related to his own birth. Although he claimed to have been born in London, no confirmation of this could be found.
In relation to the investigations, Chaplin described himself as a victim of lies and vicious propaganda. He did express sympathy with Communism but said his interest was in extracting what was good and rejecting what was bad. Whilst US concerns persisted, MI5 were less interested in his political beliefs and satisfied themselves that he did not represent a security risk.
