◆ SpookStack

M’S £ Bis Mr. OOF Mr. Boards BA -Belmon?——- Mr. Mason ——— Mr. Mebr -—— Mr. Parsons. Mr, Rosen.--— Mir. Winterrowd.. * | Tete, Room ——— r4-. Holloman—— Miss Gandy.——- To Review Security i ‘ The details of the precattions which i : e taken against espionage and sabo- tage ‘in departments of state and their offshoots are unknown to the public. oe And it is obvious that they must remain © secret if they are to be effective. The cloak is necessary to beat the dagger. What the public does know is that what- ever the precautions were in ‘the Foreign - 7 Office in the years leading up to the: , flight of Burcess and MACLEAN in the _ summer of 1951, they did not work in the case of two men whose careers were neither unblemished nor inconspicuous. ‘The public has also been assured that . ov , since then security has been tightened.* = ae That in itself does not inspire much con- ‘ a i 4. fidence after what has happened. The Prime Minister, by calling a conference + “ of Privy Councillors of both main poli- , tical parties, to review security pro- | cedures and to consider whether any i further precautions are necessary, has chosen the best way open to him of restoring confidence, The Lorp Prifsi- D of the CounciL, the Loro Cx4n- cHuLor, the Home Secretary, a former Lprd Chancellor, a former Forelyn Secretary, another former Cabinet Minister, and the PERMANENT SECRETARY . to the Treasury combine experience, | . [fe judgment, and concern for the nation’s | - wellbeing which can be trusted. ~ In Tuesday's debate in the House of Lords Lorp Astor expressed his dis- _ satisfaction with the announcement that lat oh the report would not be published. But _ 5 - . ~H Loap Reapine was right when he said +, i DEC Arn, that “ anything less suitable for publica- “. dard tion and debate in either House of - 2 Parliament would be difficult fo THE TIMES : imagine” Bat is does nor mean that . | the general ver ict of the Privy Councul- ee = BER 2h, 1955 Jors or any recommendations they may pres Ny ENSLA ND ‘make about “ open" procedures should . . not be communicated. The necessity for 45 ] . secrecy would be better understo if inisters were rather less enignjatic © ’ aw