◆ SpookStack

Security Checks Mereaged As mragult of this case, in duly, 1951, the then Secretary of State, Mr. Herbert Mor: son, set up a Committee of Inquiry to consider the Secur- ity checks applied to membe: of the Foreign Service; the existing regulations and prac+ tices of the Foreign Service in regard to eny matters having a bearing on security and to report whether any alterations were called for, The Commit- . tee reported in November, 1951. It vecommended among other things, a more extensive security check on Foreign Service officers than had_un- HI then been the practice. This . was immediately put into of fect ‘and since 1952 searching ‘ | inquiries pad been made into the antecedents and associates of ail those occupying or ap- plying for positions in the For- eign ‘Office involving highly secret information. The pur- : pose of these inquiries is to en- . : sure that no one is appointed to or continues to occupy any such post unless he or she is fit to be entrusted with the secrets to which the post gives access. The Foreign Secretary of the day approved the action required. A great deal of criticism has been directed towards the ve- . ticence of ministerial replies on : these matters; an attitude - o which it was alleged would not have been changed had it not been for the Petroy reve elations, Espionage is carried out in secret, 'Connter-espic- page cqually depends for its success upon the maximum secrecy of its methods. Nor is it desirable at any moment to let the other side know how much has been discovered or . guess at What means have been used to discover it, Nor should they be allowed to know all the steps that have been taken to improve seeurity, These con- siderations still appiy and must be the basic criterion for iudg- “Jang what should or should not he publisred—