◆ SpookStack

oy ' 2571 Former Foreign Office | Of course nobody who knows anything " watch is kept by the sillage policeman : doffing his uniform and” putting on a ' ‘powler hat and a tweed suit above his j uniform boots and following somebody down a country lane. There are other + methods, and the fact that apparently no Lind lured avn aig Maclean during the weck end in v he escaped is nothing short of shameful. H 5 ‘ f ! i The right hon. Genticman the Mem- ber for Lewisham, South (Mr, H. i Morrison) agreed to the interrogation on ‘ that Friday morning of 25th May. i ' Maclean has asked for and obtained leave ' for the following Saturday morning. -t i Therefore he was not due in the Foreign : j _ Office between the Friday evening and } _ the Monday morning. Whatever may | : fee iad ve Fe aay Wales ae ain ' have been the reason why he went when he did, whether it had been arranged Jong before or suddenly we do not yet know, but it must have been obvious to our security authorities and those in- period. Yet, as I said, not a sicp was taken to keep any surveillance on him throughout that period. 4.- ¢; es Tt has heen said once or twice in thie wice io thts ' ‘i | charge that this week-end was the danger debate that the chief value of a secret service is that it should be secret. Un- ‘ fortunately that excellent maxim has been $0 consistently flouted since the war by amateur authors cashing in on their ¢x- periences and breaking into print as a result of two or three years’ temporary t Service in one our gfeat Services in’ wartime that we can well afford a slight” risk of Joss of secrecy once more in 8 good caiise. The cause T am suggesting 3s an inquiry into our security service. - “1 do not feel that whitewashing will satisfy the people of this country about this case. Their faith in our security service has been sadly shaken, and it must be our first resolve to try to restore it at all costs, The same thing applies to their faith in our Foreign Service. My hon. Friend the Member for Farnham (Mr, j Nicholson) said that the public confidence } had been a little shaken for the first time _ 4 by this case. ‘That was a triumph of an Understatement in view of what people are } \ ! + king. ., , pee veel St atts bate : Our Foreign Service has always re- ceived the criticism from which, to a large extent, our security service bas been free. Ii has been accused of being too much 41D Bae oe etn id Bee were we nee a a Mea me ee ee ee eee es ee ee ( le pin ate te AB les chai dere Bea Pome on roa. a = = 7 oe + 7 NOVEMBER 1935 ’ about this subject imagines that such a. ia which - * Colonel Cordeaux}. FT hope that there will, - er las oe Pret ts pally e + divorced from reality, of having too many receptions and cocktail parties, of being: staffed by too many old school ties. - Yeti even its more severe critics in their wildest — moment have never before this case sige, -.. gested that it harboured traitors, and now’ people know that it did and they believe.~--+--- that it still may do so..- > -n-r et ule © The’ only way in which we can be fairly sure of reassuring the people of this. ------ country, both as regards ibe cfliciency of | - our security arrangements and about what . has happened in this case. is to appoint a’ commitice of inquiry. I would suggest that it should be a committee formed of, the judicial members of the Privy Council,, sitting in secret and reporting to the Prime, Minister. That would go far to reassure. our people who deserve reassurance. Therefore most earnestly T ask my right, -. . hon. Friend to reconsider the decision that. . ~ it is not necessary to hold any such- ---~ inquisye... step oe eure rege EL 8.5 \ Pee aed Fe. 2 ath Lieut.Colone) Marcus Lipton (Brix-- ton): I find myself in cordial agreement. with the hon. and gallant Gentleman the; . Member for Nottingham, Central (Lieat.«- be a judicial inquiry along the lines he. advocated and mentioned by my right, --.. hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham,, South (Mr. H. Morrison) earlier in the, ; . debate. s This debate will be a sham = ---- exercise unless it is followed by such an inquiry. +... filapeowis € iseey { Gee toa 77 We want an inquiry into the recruif-- ment and staffing of the Foreign Office.’ 2-2. -: We also want an inquiry into the efficiency! of our Security Service. Those should. be two separate and distinct inquiries: Wg) --*~ may be found necessary to have a differ-i ent form of inquiry in each case since . exactly the same security considerations: -~--~: do not apply to an investigation into the: _.. . staffing and recruitment of the Foreign* ~ “~~~ Office as would obviously and necessarily > o-" ~ apply to an examination of our Secret, Service. Unless there is an inquiry peoples “"**" F- will remain profoundly dissatisfied with; ... _ the official pronouncement made on the; ~ subject by the right bon. Gentleman the, ........- Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. -<.7 I will not go as far back as did the’ - hon. and gallant Member for Nottingham, =... - Central. . I will only go back to 195L, —~ In the light of what the Secretary of, — - . State for Foreign Affairs said today, .1. wri cee a ET a ape ee ear” i ff