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N INEXPLICABLE EXPLANATION Apast from officially confirming the Burgess and Machean alfair, ine Government White Paper ts only remat'kable for [ts total failure to come iG grips with the real questions im the pubic mind. Since iast Sunday, the over- riding question has not been how these two renegades escaped de- tection, as Mr. Petroy made it known that the security authori- ties were. already on their trail tthe time of their eseape. Nor Was there any real complaint that their departure had not ueen prevented. What the public wanted .to know was not. why they had been allowed to escane. but why the Government. for igur years kept Parliarnent and {He public se completely in -he tiark about a matter of burning eqnceorn, The White Paper's explanaifon is WhONY unconvincing—even as whitewash. it suggests that te have told the pubHe that MACLEAN'S treason was known in advance would... have provided “the other side” with valuable infarmation. But since the White Paper also states: that MACLEAN fled because he sus- pected that. the game was up, mies aaely Biresia wise RUSSHINS MUSb iso cle ary | nave known that the British withorities knew of the esplon- age before the sples MACLEAN’S eollaborater who tipped him aff must also have known. So why on earth should the British public have been kept in the dark? The omy ‘ible explanation is that suk- Fovernments fear eriticism for having allowed th two sples. to escape. __. RE: MacLEAN CASE tia oe (Bufile 200-371183) DAILY TELEGRAPH SEPTEMBER 2h, 1955 LONDON, ENGLAND fled. Another questlon’ which the Whitk Paper fails to ans#rer .is why. pwith thelr questionabl per- sonal records, these two officials werg for so long retained Jn the Service, and. in the vase af Macziean, consistently promoted. The White Paper refers to Macuran’s “serious misconduct” in Caito in May, 1950. but adds that in October he was. “ passed meédically fit’ and appointed to be head of the American Depart- ment. It is really intolerable for the Foreign Office to ask us to assume that this promotion re~ quires no further comment. MaciEan’s conduct in Cairo was notorions. if his promotion was Toutine, 1 was bad routine. If it Was exceptional, the public desqrves to be teld why the exedption was made, 1@ next question om which the White Paper sheds too jittle light is that of the effectiveness of our sceurity system in general. After all the Pontrcorve defec- tion, which was supposed to have shown the authorities the red light, occurred only eight months before the MacLean and Burcrss aflair, Yet everi inquiries into “antecedents and associates’ were not initiated until six months after it. The problemcis entirely different since the cold war started. Before, treason Was @ matter of corruption. or prievance, or mental Instability. To-day the Marxist faith has proved capable of subverting men otherwise of upright char- acfer and balanced mind4{ How arq they to be detected in time to Bave the country from them, an \ them from themselvesP ene Not by a McCarviy witch-hunt. MecCarthylsm's methods gpined thar momentum from Addhini- stration efforts to sidefrack legifimate public fears abou the dangers of subversian in govern= ment... If President Truman had not attempted to cover up the Hiss. scandal, the McCarruy re« action might, well have been kept within bounds. Similarly, to withhold Information risks arousing here the very atnids-~ phere of suspicion and dis- trust. In which MeCarthyism flourishes. What is required is an examination of the problern by a small Committee selected from those who had long experi- ence of security systems during the war. They should examine not only the mechanism of our security system, but alsa how to avoid - defeating the true purposes Of an indispensable measure af secrecy by over- prolonged and aver-exhaustive taciturnity towards the public: and their repert shauld, of course, be rendered only to the Prime Minister. The public: will content to Judge not hy its ‘nis but by Its results. [They be content with the ults of the present syst#m as disclosed by the White Paper. te vy a are rao naar er paral i as mA I tim an Me. SaVRLE TD cue y tee re rea Vianterrowd.. +, Hoam.. Lolloman_ Miss Gandy... —_ Brats Gi ai. ROACH | | L d 1