How does one access records Special Branch kept?

[Balliol]

I am over 70 years of age and I have started to write up some details of my life for my children just in case they may be interested in years to come.
I started by going back to my earliest memories then working my way through my life but one thing lead to another such as my parents and grandparents.
I know that my father was an active member of the Communist Party from about 1934 to close to 1980 and I would assume that the security services would have been interested in what he did before and during the second world war. I also read from time of the security services releasing various records under the fifty year rule or whatever.
Could anyone tell me how one applies for access to such records?

[Ladkyis]

I think I would take a look at the National Archives website

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/

There are all sorts of interesting things there. If you can't find anything specific about your father then they have a contact address and there will be someone who can tell you where to look, I am sure

[Geoffers]

Start with The National Archives (TNA) research guides:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/researchguidesindex.asp
Click in 'I' and look for a link which is something like 'Intelligence Records in TNA'

You might want records compiled by MI6 in document series 'KV' - those for Communist links (I think) are in KV5

Geoffers

[Peter Goodey]

The archives of the Communist Party itself are at the Labour History Archives and Study Centre managed by the John Rylands University Library of Manchester.