The Official Secrets Act 1939[1] (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).
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to amend section six of the Official Secrets Act 1920. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 121 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 23 November 1939 |
| Commencement | 23 November 1939[a] |
| Repealed | 20 December 2023 |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| Repealed by | National Security Act 2023 |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Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| 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The Act was repealed by and replaced with the National Security Act 2023.[2][3][4]