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:"g bit puzzled” by the reply, “If on ‘Rpading maintains that it is strictly accyr- :afe to say that Mr Maclean performed ‘fis ofic:al duties gatistactorily up to the ddie of his disappearance—we know now t [was under grave suspicion and wes being watched as a ected spy apart from his other record—~the public, which does not understand these niceties,’ is bound to ask whether there may not be other officials who are performing their official duties in a similarly satisfactory manner.’ ; . i Lord Reading said that when, in his original statement. he said Maclean had discharged his official duties satisfactorily that it referred, in the context, to his appointment as head of the Americay Department and the duties he had been called upon to carry out. “In fact, a very experienced under-secretary who. fa vised the department was watching him with special closeness towards the end of the time before bis disappearance, just to see whether there was anything which indi- cated that Mr Maclean wae not performing his duties satisfactorily at that moment. and he came to the conclusion that the: as nothing to which exception could ren.’ Lord Jowitt, Leader of the Oppositi ers: If it was known at the e that. {his man was under suspicion at the dale his’ disappearance, would it not have - -been better to say so Unless public Interest demanded that it should be kept quiet? ._ Lord Reading: I knew at the time I made the answer—of course I did, there ts no question of the department holding - anything back from me at any time—that Mr Maclean had been under investigation. It was not relevant to the question aske: T was satisfed at the time. while inves: gations were still proceeding, that it was not in the public Interest to disclose more than I actually disclosed... 1.am_ still satished that is the case. Lord Vansittart asked If it was now realised that "some of us who have given our lives to this great service are pro- ‘foundly sad at heart that it has been ; Sullied by the retention ‘of a_ notorious a _ after his exploits in Cairo were known. and how hotiy I repudiate the a Lord Astor asked if there would an portunity of debating the White Paper, - Lord Beading. said if the House wanted debate the vernment was perfectly Dyepared to have one, e .