Official Secrets Act 1939

The Official Secrets Act 1939^[a] (2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 121) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It substituted a new section 6 into the Official Secrets Act 1920, which limited the scope of that offence to offences under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 (it had formerly applied to all offences under the Official Secrets Act 1911 and to all offences under that act).

Official Secrets Act 1939^[a]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to amend section six of the Official Secrets Act 1920.
Citation	2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 121
Territorial extent	United Kingdom[b]
Dates
Royal assent	23 November 1939
Commencement	23 November 1939[c]
Repealed	20 December 2023
Other legislation
Amends	Official Secrets Act 1920
Repealed by	National Security Act 2023
Relates to	Official Secrets Act 1911
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended
Text of the Official Secrets Act 1939 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

It was enacted in reaction to the "Sandys affair" in 1938, when Duncan Sandys MP was threatened with prosecution under section 6 in an attempt to get him to disclose who had given him information about the inadequate state of the air defences around London.

The whole act was repealed by and replaced with the National Security Act 2023.^[1][2][3]

See also

• Official Secrets Act

Notes

1. Section 2(1).
2. Section 2(2).
3. The Acts of Parliament (Commencement) Act 1793.