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N INEXPLICABLE EXPLANATION art from officially confirming what was already known about the Burcess and Macugan alfair, une Government White Paper is only remarkable for {ts total failure to come 16 grips with the real questions In the public mind. Since last Sunday, the over- fding question has not been how these two renegades escaped de- tection, as Mr. Petroy made lt known that the security authori- ties were already on their trail “the time of their escape. Nor was there any real complaint that their departure had not veen prevented. What the public wanted .to know was not why ney had been allowed to escape. out why the Government for yur years kept Parliament gnd {$e public so completely in the ajrk about a matter of burning eqneern. The White Paper's explanation is wholly unconvincing—even as whitewash. It suggests that to have told the public that MACMEAN'S treason was known in advance wouid..have provided “the other side” with valuable information, But since the White Paper also states that MacLean fled because he sus- pected that the game was up, ciearly the Russians must also nave Known that the British authorities knew of the espion- before the spies fled. MACLEAN'S: collaborator who tipped him aff must also have known. So why on earth should thg British public have been kegt in the dark? The ony ible explanation is that su- governments fears criticism for having allowed th two spies to escape, ___ RE: MacLEAN CASE (Bufile 100-371:183) DAILY TELEGRAPH SEPTEMBER 2h, 1955 LONDON, ENGLAND Another question which the WhitP Paper fails to ansWer is why, fwith their questionabl per- sonal] Tecords, these two officials werd for so long retained Jn the Service, and. in the case of Macueax, consistently promoted. The White Paper refers to Mactran's “seriaus misconduct" in Cairo in May, 1950, but adds that in October he was “passed medically fit” and appointed to be head of the American Depart~ ment. IJt is really intolerabie for the Foreign Office to ask us to assume that this promotion re~ quires no further comment. Macugan’s conduct in Cairo was notorious. If his promotion was Toutine, it was bad routine, If it }ras exceptional, the public desqrves to be told why the exeqption was made. ‘Phe next. question on which the White Paper sheds too jittle light is that of the efféctivgness of our security system in general. After all the Powrecorvoe defec- tion, which was supposed to have shown the authorities the red light, occurred only eight months before the Mactzan and Burcess aflair. Yet even inquiries into “antecedents and associates” were not {nitfated until six Months after it. The problems entirely different since the cold war started. Before, treason was a matter of corruption, or grievance, or mental Snstability, To-day the Marxist faith has proved capable of subverting: men otherwise of upright char- acfet and Balanced mind{ How ard they to be detected i time to Bave the country from }hem, and them from themselves! Not by a McCarzuy witeh-hunt. Mcfarthyism’s methods ghined thar momentum from Adwhini- strdtion efforts to sidefrack legitimate public fears aboub the dangers of subversion in govern= ment, If President Truman had not attempted to cover up the Hiss scandal, the McCartuy re= action might, weil have been kept within bounds. Similarly, to withhold information risks arousing here the very atmos~ phere of suspicion and dis- trust in which McCarthyism fiourishes. What is required is an examination of the problem 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 securlty system, but also how to avoid defeating the true purposes Of an indispensable measure of secreey by over~ prolonged and over-exhaustive taciturnity towards the public; and their report should, of course, be rendered oniy to the Psime Minister. The public wili bd content to jidge not py its tefms but by its resul They eqnnot be content with the regults of the present sysi¢m as disclosed by the White Paper. ‘ \Jnterrowd_ | oom. Holloman fiandy /