◆ SpookStack

etme ee ee ee any a a el oe nee Sethe ter ee ae eda lta elt abe nee eta nee Sok ee eee O wo ee 1 : ' ” eC rf — — a . “4 ‘ it § : i : 8 yo, re nt mr Ss nme =P dame 1. On 23rd November, 1955, the Prime Minister informed the House ~ of Commons that a Conference of Privy Councillors had been set up with the . following terms of referencez—"— = ee ee “To examine the security procedures now applied in the public . services and to consider whether any further precautions are calted for and should be taken”. i. se yet ey te BO "Fhe Conference consisted of the following Privy Councillors — ~~ - "~The Lord President of the Council: »-- + © reo: s-riopee tse ea ee ag The Lord Chancellor; we Pot fh otcgacg lyst. I The Secretary of State for the Home Department, a : The Lord Jowitt: — The ricght han Member far Pawicham Granth (Mr u M erie & oetee SURFER, LF ER ERELPE pure Ba PUL SITCEREE, QPL EL AVER. BOs LF - The right hon. Member for Vauxhall (Mr. G. R. Strauss); . The Permanent Secretary to Her Majesty's Treasury. --- wok _ . . - . ae ae hk 2 oe 2. The Conference have presented their Report and their recommenda- ~ tions have been considered by Her Majesty's Government. -- ©. = .- 3. The Prime Minister stated on 29th November last that if there were steps which could be made public as a result of the Conference, there would, of course, be a report to Parliament. The Report of the Conference includes a close examination of the security procedures in the public services. and it would not be in the public interest to publish the full text of the Report or to make known all its recommendations. But in compliance with the undertaking given by the Prime Minister, this White Paper gives the sybstance of the Report in so far as it can properly be made public, including a number of specific recommendations. “ Coe rete 4. The report starts by an. analysis of the general nature of the security risks with which this country is faced to-day. The Conference point out that, whereas once the main risk to be guarded against was espionage by , foreign Powers carried out by professional agents. to-day the chief risks — are Presented by Communists and by_oiher psssons o for one reason or another are subject to Communist influence. he Communist faith = overrides @ man’s normal Joyalises to his country and induces the belief. that it is justifiable to hand over secret information to the Communist Party of to the Communist foreign Power. This risk from Communists i is not. however, confined to party members. either open or underground. but extends to sympathisers with Communism. -. cme mee ee 5. At one time the Fascist ideology also presented considerable security risks. Although to-day the chief risk is that presented by Communism, the security arrangements instituted in 1948 were directed, and will continue to be directed, against Communism amd Fascist alike. In this paper for — convenience and brevity the term “Communism” is used to cov Pevecteytttiti 3, eee Seofsems =f lh ro audi £. oy wet = dene = VOTMMUTISG aa rascisitl SikKEe. . Tyee Se trey ee me 6. One of the chief problems of security to-day is thus to identify the members of the British Communist Party. to be informed of its activities =~ and to identify that wider body of those who are both sympathetic to Communism, or susceptible to Communist pressure and present a danger wea .