◆ SpookStack

“Philby and If IS" WITH. RELUCTANCE’ that’ & we" col fp George Brown’s remarks on;Tuesday: night! We have no:' wish to prolong a’feud wedid not’ know. existed." But readers of the Sunday Times’ who'have'seen their } a Paper accused of ‘"d6i | very greatrdisservice to-thos ;country”’ are’ entitled to’ some, comment from’ those’. Tesponsible for its conduct. :'We' believe that .thi ticular reference was to the’ Philby affair.:< ¢ : ate Phe Sunday Times has been entirely open about | ‘both with its readers and with the Foreign Office.: _ the end of our inquiries into the' Philby conspiracy in September, we made indirect ;contact. with Philby in. Moscow; we published a picture!*Philby ‘also indicated then that he might provide ‘unspecified autobiographic,, material. .We have not. scen this to judge whether it’ should be accepted’ or ‘rejected, whether it might be a’ valid contribution to history, unpublishable propaganda,’ or other material prejudicial to British interests.- Last’ weekend Philby made his offer firm, We kept the Foreign: ‘* Office inform Our attitude:is that we have no-inten-! }; ; | tion of rewarding treason; but that no newspaper should’. refuse to look at information from whatever source. The Sunday Times's own narrative on .Philby,.it must..be; _ slressed, was quite independent of Philby,’ Moscow, or; ; any Communist source, It has now been concluded and!. we would not reopen it without full regard for thes national interest.; we red ur two essential guidelines were:and;remain that, the Philby story was: legitimate: news to the British} |: people about the conduct of their affairs, and that our; |: own: serics told “the Russians nothing they, bad not. - learned years ago from Philby hims : “very: freat disservice to the country ™ w: by't! who protected him. -'"”. }’ ? Pate