◆ SpookStack

opts “Your Own: Boss? ; "Nothing could be worse”, their families, backgro Type than todo anything which "* habits, private ‘ves ker nt, I 4 pould -underming the eon. “Those hurdies behind ‘them |, 1 Servicasooe in the they now have jobs for Ife a !* : tee lod of grooming with, service ©", The Foretgn Secretary, at home and abroad. and before Mr, Harold Macmitlan. fem wa the prospect of, of soRs —— een £3,000 HE bill for Britain's a £5,000 a year, each more Foreign Service hey Teach ambassadorial this year is some ~ vue Fore!gn Service still . 20,000,000, Rightly it is a. ys em reign Service stil eyes ppoud service. Rightly it Js always errs to overlook prival atcounted something to muisdemesnours, and ie “ tions. It is st 1 the tradition of hpve “a Job in the Foreign the service’ to. rotect fis | ce” members, to let no! nin This year 230 young men and that would .“underm: ern 8 women, all untyersity graduates Confidence of our peovies’ “with honours degrees (others = need not apply). sought entry to Rare ‘axe’. cessful, 12 young men and two - Wie happens to any- : . one in the Service’ young women. They alone sur- who misbehaves? A s, i Vived the two-day written reprimand, a transfer? Never, | - 4 examination followed by the or very rarely, the “axe.” Yeu close scrutiny of @ 2i-day per- , almost everyone in the Service. sonal “vetting” by members of | from the upper strata “A the selection board. Branch | career men to clerks — PB nd typists, cannot help in a fore! st coming into poss .For life’ Sion of donfidential information, FYER surviving. that Some facts about procedure, he the 14 have had to- Office routine, passage of docu > y be “screened” by - nts are known to everyone. ont ~ fis common knowledge in anv a ty ‘officers of the Foreign” 1418 common a eee a “ Wer" “Six” (MIS and MI6), d who is“ " Security. ” Anyone Hable to be “got at” could fur- :nish an enemy agent with valu: wble clues: © The Foreign Office hes its own security men, resident (in the larger Embassies) or vislt- ing. Some check physical . Security, safes, the guard on te gpdes, classification, and circula- . _— ‘Won of documents disposal of notes and waste. y , Personnel branch hes its own : security men. checking on tae. behaviour and private lives of. employees. Inspecting the ver jsonel dossier which sccom- “panies every officer through his Sor her career. But these officers | ; Bre career men too, They are in} (e for. “promotion, and it ts ex- shoerior who may in the. near} » “A Branch.” Only 14 were suc- eth '" Liberalised ". URING the war the” Gervice Uberalised ° bretenee into oe intge nent rene es int orred lars : Whole, The change opened the “"top diplomatic posts who previously hed been Tinted to say. consular rank, par school boys who had won hrough to university and hon+ our legrees got their chance. ‘This year among the 14 success- , ful “A Branch " candidates three were grammar school » boys; three in 14, that is Shout the annual ratio. ‘The rest -were from public schools. 3 People in the Service sav, the”: changes have not been as radical . j as}would appear from this. family background ing cqfints., There Js stil & “got en. in the Service. 4 n other parts of WhiteBall LGlvil Servants discuss evnledlly | ay H tw a “soey call” the Fore! “ Protectior. Society.” 18] n “ane Foreign Service. t) re L people” who) say At is’ " protective” and that that wie’ * major failing. It is “ protect Tom public opinion, is aloof, remote. Ry ‘Typical of ente was the de 4 cision made when Burgess and ;' Maclean fied the country to be:s as uncommunicative as _pos-ai sible; typical Foreign one attitude now on dhat ecision is3 the comment:, “TI! cl ated aaa ve peor) it an <2 tpe leo of 1 Br tat, er ret ore Nottitng coufd | fave’ been more oy undermine public confidence.” samara Na eee epee: on ‘their ‘own promotion. © ‘ is something which should; ibe changed without delay. 0; pifture have considerable ‘infiu- —_ a ae CR pre ee com