◆ SpookStack

THE AMERICAN REPORT BPRGESS: In 1949 whtle on holiday abroad fe was guilty of “ indiscreet talk about secret mat- ters of which he had official knowledge." " For this he was severely reprimanded. Yet the following year he was sent to Washington as a Second Secretary at the Embassy, Out there, the Ambassador put in a report on him that made even the Foreign OMfice think about firing bim. Mis work was unsatisfactory, he lacked thorough- ness and balance, the U.S. State Department Jooked unfayourably on his reckless driving, and he had had to be reprimanded for “ care- lessness in leaving confidential papers un- attended.” it the Ambassador's request he was removed frqm Washington. : . hen the Foreign Office really got down to work: “lHe was recalied to London in early May, 1951, and was asked to resign from the Foreign Offife. would be taken in the event of his refusitg to do so. It was at this point that he] dis- appeare - So in view of this record, how could the two men have stayed so long in this highly secret service? This is the White Paper answer-that is no answer at all: “ Action was taken in each case. It was shortly before Maclean serious suspicion of his rediabi and active inquiries set on foot.” And how could they have escaped when the security sleuths were on their track? “The watch on Maclean was made diffi- cult by the need to ensure that he did not become aware that he was under observation. “It was inadvisable to increase this risk by extending the surveillance to his home in an isolated part of the country and he was therefore watched in London only. . “Both men were free to go abrowd at sny time... In this country no arrest}can we made without adequate evidence, | Consideration was. being given to the stepythat a NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE “At the time there was insufficicht ebidence. It was for these reasons necessary Jor security io embark upon the difficult aod delicate investigation of Maclean, taking into ‘count the visk that he would be alerted; ~ cent he w . That is the end of this sorry tale except for a whitewash Jor the cence” of Ministerial replics about the two men, This is attributed to the necessity for secrecy in espionage and counter-espionage. That is the whitewash cover laid on to protect the men who were guilty of sup- plying successive Ministers with incomplete information about these traitors, to be passed on to the House of. Commons and the public, IT IS A PATHETIC DOCUMENT. A RECORD OF FALTERING INDECISION. It might almost have been designed to demonstrate to the world that we are children in the art of spying, and babies in arms at the job of catching our own trait Bot ubove all it Jeayes hanging in the air, s menacing as that Thing which hang down om the roof of the Abbey in the Quaternjass ixperiment, the possibility of the existehee still of a master spy able to tap the decisipns of our most secret ser