◆ SpookStack

- extends to sympathisers with Communism. 1. On 23rd November, 1955, thé Prime Minister informed the House of Commons that a Conference of Privy Counc itors had been set up with the following terms of reference :— “To examine the security procedures now applied in the public services and to consider whether any further Precautions are called for and should be taken”. 20 21. oat 4 ‘Fhe Conference consisted of the following Privy Councillors - The Lord President of the Council: - The Lord Chancellor; The Secretary of State for the Home Departments” for The Lord Jowitt: ° . The right hon. Member for Lewisham, South (Mr. H. Morrisoa); : - The right hon. Member for Vauxhall (Mr. G. R. Strauss); . The Permanent Secretary to Her Majesty's Treasury. .+ - -. rs 2. The Conference have presented their Report and their recommenda.” tions have been considered by Her Majesty’s Government. 3. The Prime Minister stated on 29th November last that if there were steps which could be made public as a result of the Conference, there would, of course, be 4 report to Parliament. The Report of the Conference includes a close examination of the security procedures in the public services. and it would not be in the public interest to publish the full text of the Report or to make known all its recommendations. But in compliance with vestaes undertaking given ‘by the Prime Minister, this White ives the substance of the Report in so far as it can properly be made publi including a number of specific recommendations. - 4. The report starts by an analysis of the general nature of the security risks with which this country i faced to-day. The Conference point out that, whereas once the main risk uarded against was espiar by . foreign Powers carried out it by ee. ‘agents. to-day the chief_ rj are presented _by er who for on¢ reason of another are subject_to _Communist_influence. he Communist faith overrides a man’s normal loyalties 10 his country and induces the belief that it is justifiable to hand over secret information to the Communist Party of to the Communist foreign Power. This risk from Communists is not. however. confined to party members. either open or underground. but 5. At one time the Fascist ideology also presented considerable s security risks. Although to-day the chief risk is that presented by Communism. the security arrangements instituted in 1948 were directed, and will continue to be directed, against Communism amd Fascist alike. In this paper for convenience and brevity the term * Communism * is used to cover Communism and Fascism alike. . rite 6. One of the chief problems of security to-day is thus to identify the members of the British Communist Party. to be informed of its activities =- and to identify that wider of those who are both sympathetic to Communism, or susceptible to to Communist Pressure and present a danger