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y | -A KIND OF FOLLY HE Burgess-Maclean White Paper bas served only jio 4 confirm the impression that the Foreign Office and the security authorities between them have made egregious asses of themselves. (Qaly the Daily Worker dissents: it feels this is an elaborately staged stunt to sabotage Geneva.) The unanimity with which all shades of opinion have damned the culprits is remarkable; but there is no agreement on what ‘should be done to stop them disgracing themselves again. : The reason is that two issues which ought to have been kept separate have been confused—largely because of Maclean's social background: ‘security on the ons hand; and oa the other, the future of the Foreign Office as an institution, * The real trouble, as the White Paper makes clear, was not the disloyalty of Burgess and Maclean, but their superiors* " inability to recognise that both men were utterly unstable and “ Gabe v ay Neither of them could bave survived in his jgb, y) jp As . \ Gta p ee let glone been promoted, bat for the protection that being ‘qne of tie boys,’ 80 to speak, afforded them. The Foreign Offich’s loyalty to its staff at its best is admirable: it creates a far better spirit than is found in, say, the State Department, where the law of the jungie operates, But at its blindest, loyalty can become dangerous: not simply because it allows men like Burgess and Mactean to flourish, but also because it creates extraordinary hostility outside, reflected in the savagery with which the news- papers have been attacking the Foreign Office. The newspapers, however, have tended to concentrate on a campaign for the tightening of security regulations—better screening—more efficient sroclliing-out of witches. Such a policy is foredoomed to failure. Communism is a virus that cannot be detected by any security microscope? sereening will oaly tend to exclude those who have avowed themselves Communists~not, now, the most dangerous strain. But even if a case could be made for a more efficient security system— {i must be agreed that the country’s record in this refpect is pitiful) the question remains: What do we want to tO? V6 NOV 5 1955 Ap we not in danger of forgetting that we have little feft orth. RE: MacLEAN CASE deing secretive about? = (Bug#ie 100-37h183} ae pent _—— Seent OB NO sone at: Bailes _ pepereg copy SET. © . iontor, BROAN py LETTE JUN 22 1916 LONDON, ENGLAND / PER FIA 88 ‘e) DoNOVIGIssSy pd ow