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curity, Thereafter steps must be taken to sce that secret information © not handled by anyone who, for ideological or ‘other motives, may ~~ ~- tray it. Lo bow ety ad ’ 9. Her Majesty's Government agree with this broad analysis and will -° continue to base Uhcir policy on preventing persons of this nature from ~ . having access to secret information. - 8 Against the background of this gencral analysis, of which only a - very bricf outline has been given, the Conference address themselves to an_ cxamination of the Government's security arrangements. Their main conclusion is that there is nothing organically wrong or unsound about those “* ~~~ arrangements. They make. however, certain recommendations, the purpose of which is to strengthen the system in some respects. Her Majesty’s Government ptopase to give effect to all the recommendations which the Conference have made, mt pr rs wes 9. The Report of the Conference deals with the public services generally. - But it is implicit in the Report that the Conference recognise that in certain © areas of the public service—notably in the Foreign Service, the Defence tield and the Atomic Encrgy Orgunisation—the need for stringent security ' precautions ig greater than elsewhere. Her Majesty’s Government accept - 10. Some of the recommendations of the Conference deal with what may be called the relation between security risks and defects of character ~ and conduct. *The' Conference recognise that to-day great importance must be paid to character defects as factors tending to make a man unreliable or expose him to biackmaii, or influence by foreign agents, There is a duty on Departments to inform themselves of serious failings such as drunkenness. _ addiction to drugs, homosexuality of any loose living that may seriously ~~ affect a man's reliability. .. . .. MoS 11. There is a natural reluctance to make advetse reports on colleagues _ and nothing could be worse than to encourage tale-bearing or malicious - gossip, Nevertheless, it is important to impress not.only on Heads of .. Departments but on supervisory officurs generally that it is their duty to know their staff and that they must not fail 10 report anything which affects security. This covers both evidence which suggests Communist associations or sympathies, and also serious defects of failings which might jeopardise the security of the section of the public service in their charge. The ~ Government accept this recommendation, although they recognise that the - measures necessary to give effect to it will require very careful consideration. 12, While confining themselves 10 the security aspect of these defects of character and .conduct, the Conference also record the view that in ~ ; _ individual cases of in certain sections of the public service, a serious character ~~” - ~~, defect may appropriately be the determining factor in a decision to dismiss - - a particular individual or to transfer him-to other work. 13. The Conference also recommend that it should be recognised that — the fact that a public servant is a Communist not only bars his employment =~ on secret duties, but may also in some Departments have an unfavourable ous: - -- 44. The Conference also make « series of recommendations which turn ~ . on the risk presented by those in regard to whom there is no evidence that =. _ they are themselves members of the Communist Party. but evidence exists ~~ of Communist sympathies of of close association with members of the Communist . Party. et . Tos . ae wee ~ 4 nade rd