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ee euteuanill iia one botause they knew so many of the right kpowing, Lady Violet Bonham Carter is a tenacious cof- tyoversialist, and mere self-interest would make me withdrz from what | wrote Jast week if I thought ber letter to the Editor of the Spectator this week were justified. 1 have three points to make in reply. (1) I never suggested that she had used her influence to affect official decisions in the interests fr many joumalists and editors have good reason fpr ‘of Burgess and Maclean. 1 was talking about the subtle influence which is exercised by members of what 1 cal} the ‘Establishment’ in creating an attitude of mind to the whole question of the disappearance of Burgess and Maclean. No dofbt they did it for the best possible reasons—we all, T hope, wauld stand by our friends—but there can be little doubt thét, Je, a great del otypressure was brought to bear in 1951 and 1952 to discount the more sensational stories about Burgess and Maclean. {ii} dy Violet says that all she did was to write a letter to The Ttines adout the ‘hounding’ of Mrs. Maclean aad her family and relations. Is she quite sure that she never sought to bring pressure to bear oe the Express newspapers on precisely this question? Is she quite sure that it was not due to any inter- vention on her part that the attitude of the Daily Express . became a matter, not just of editorial concern, but of mana- gerial and perhaps even psoprietorial concern? (iii) As 1 believe the Editor of the Spectator makes clear in a footnote to Lady Violet's letter, neither he nor I approve of the ‘hound: ing’ of the family or relations of ‘malefactors (proved or suspect}.’ But the point is that at no time did Mrs. Maclean* show any inclisation fo cut herself off from the press. Never did she complain to any individual journalist. She normally - said what she had to say ‘olf the record.’ On one occasion when she did say something ‘on the record’ to a number of journalists, she telephoned ta Fleet Sireet to deny what she it said even before the story itself had reached Fleet Sirdet. is does not seem to be the behaviour of an innocent worpan , Hounded" by the press. It suggests rather thet she was bging guided by men extremely skilled in handling the press. ce at,