◆ SpookStack

i eetomee } THE The Government's White Paper $n the disappearance of Maclean afd Burgess does not really add rnuch to the sistry as the diligence of the news- papers have built it up over the last four years. In the story of the flight the unsolved problem that remains is: Who “tipped” them of or, as the Government pits.it, “alerted them” ? Did. they just sense that the security %, po) eply SL service was on. their track or did | someone fell them’? Burgess had already been asked to resign (the date of this is not given}. Maclean was about to be closely investigated and his house searched. On May 25 the than Foreign ‘Secretary, Mr Herbert Murrison,. sanctionéd a proposal that th sourity authorities should aud tion Ont day ‘Maclean and Burgess fled the country. Who, him? The White Paper says on this that ‘after searching interrogations *insufticient evidence was obtainable to form a definite conclusion or te warrant prosecution.” But has the Foreign Office nO suspicions? And have there been any staff changes in the Foreign Office to make assurance doubly sure? Has anyone been. got off on suspicion? The other point on which there has been criticism, largely in America, is that it should not have been possible for Maclean and Burgess ATR to get away so easily. The Paper, with America in mind, says rather eaustically + Iiy some countries, no doubt, Macltan i ulkd have: bean artested first and auges- ined afterwards. In this country Jno of est can be mide withuut sdeanpie é idence. : MacLEAN CASE (Bufile 100-374183) - Wiite: if anybody, warned | | WE MANCHESTER GUARDIAN ZEPTEMBER 2h, 1955 LONDON, FNGLAND Cy ry ra fe ' . 3 { o wo , oe a close. It was confined to London. One out of London, he could dq as he pleased, even to getting out ofthe | country. The -security authorities were not acting with any urgency. for they were going to delay the proposed interview with Maclean: until mid-June—three weeks after the décision to interrogate him was taken. . This was putting touching trust in the | inadequacy of the Foreign Office grapevine.’ The impression most people will form. on studying the White Faper is that the security authorities did not tak a very serious wiew af either aac mw Wiha Veit men, pote nat i inaof ri GP WiaCiedan. They Were Per. Trype enough, but it is also evident | anf the watch on Maclean vas jn0t | hapk right prima facie about Burgess, an “unreliable type who had not apparently been in. any closely consi | dential relation. (Although that. is not to say that he might not bhvej gone to great lengths to steal dgcu- ments from the British Embassy at Washington when he was there.) They were not. it would seem, moved by any great sense of urgency about Maglean. There is a curious phrase in| thefaccount.of Maclean. He began. asi an jofficer of “exceptional quality”; he pnishehaved and had a breakdown | in Cairo. When he came back, pro- “nounced as medically fit, he was made head of the American Department of the Foreign Office. This, says ther White Paper, “since it does not deal with. the major problems of Anglo aria veolatinwnc ommagre American Pre1alions, to be] within his capacity.” Here wasyan | able person given a responsible ppsi- tion in the Foreign Office. Yt if is * vbw pretended that it was nota really Important position, and WAS s therefore apoih oe rn i It SY eye s ° fr we Noe . Ah iy Bo gt ee tel €, 5 Pe aceite eed ay AOR mers mo 726 OCT ra,