◆ SpookStack

reads the Communist daily newspaper, or reads the periodicals or other informa tion coming one's way, One cannot help Dut feel that they have not the slightest Yceling of obligation or loyalty to the ‘United Kingdom—that their loyalty is to ‘another country. I reserve the sight to disagree with my own country if I think that my owa ‘country is wrong in a given course of lpolicy. I reserve the right to agree with her countries if I think that they are iright, but I am always very suspicious of anybody, whether a Government servant jor somebody else, who persistently ex- Pounds the view that our country is , always wrong, and the Communist countries are always right. There is something wrong with that, and it gives Tise 10 legitimate suspicion. , «..- | It is sometimes said that Communism is a religion. 1 do not think that is fair to religion. I think that in some ways ‘it is a disease. In fact, my right hon, : Friend the Member for Ebbw Vale (Mr. , Bevan), some years ago, very rightly said, j <The Communist party is not a party; it is an organised conspiracy”. There | is a great deal of truth in that. 7": | Me. Emrys Hughes (South A shire): | We say that about the Tories. » L Mr. Morrison: If I could think of ‘ Something to quote to please my hon. i Friend, I would do so, but I have not got such a quotation ready. pier Nevertheless, there are some Com- spunisis who are innocent, sincere but deceived. It is the case that in the Security Service we are up aguinst a new problem. Formerly, a man who was a national of another country was hired as @ spy, of even a national of one's own country was hired as a spy—that was the game, and they were often very brave men. But the new situation of a volun- tary act of service in the ‘interests of a foreign power against one's own country is a very serious matter for security in all sorts of waysus.) ee at Let 00 one think that this aspect is con- fined to the working classes: J do not think that anyone does think so. In fact, the cases with which we are concerned are not of that character. There have been some working-class cases, but the funay thing about the middle and upper classes, the well-to-do class, is that if they go oe MOM ee a tae ee ee 1513 Former Foreign Office 7 NOVEMBER 1955 Officials—Disappearance 1814. _ and, indeed, sometimes university studeats wrong in this fashion they are, if anything. , worse than other people—{Hox. MEM- Bers: “Oh."]—it is so. They begin by - revolting against their families and they finish up by secretly revolting against the State. That is rather curious. What ff have said about the Communists is ¢ .~.. equally wue about the Fascists, - wt ~ : Se ae ee = Mr. C. Pannell: Perhaps my right hon. « ~ Friend will address himself to.-the -~-—-... point to which the Secretary of State = did not address himself, namely that, generally speaking, this talk about. the liberty of the subject has not - becn applied circumspectly to mem- ..: ders of the working-<classes ; the Ministry of Supply screened, and effectively = screened, persons, including members of my union, on the slenderest suspicion, and : that, broadly speaking, the tests of the _. Foreign Office were not equitably inflicted : upon the working classes. = Mr. Morrison: I think that ¢ may ~~ be some ruth in what my hon. Friend --.- - says. I was Minister of Supply for a few months. Some workmen wese dis- missed before my arrival I had com- Jaints from a Labour Member of Par- > iament, the fate Arthur Jenkins, about it, and T went inio if and came to the conclusion that they had been dismissed on inadequate information and on in- © adequate grounds. Therefore, I think there is, or that there was at any rate, some truth in what my bon. Friend says, 2 -I agree that it would be wrong to -* --- assume that use a man is a Com- munist or a Fascist a1 university he must be necessarily guilty for life. All sorts of things happen among university undeg- aduates. J never studied at a universit Tam 2 product of the elementary schoo! and 1 am not ashamed of the fact. But all sorts of things happen at the uni- _ versities. Abnormal ideas are evolved, ~ ‘are encouraged to evolve them because “they are thought to be good for the Pouthful mind. cea ue gentile espera y There was, for example, the motion _ carried at the Oxford University Debating’ ~***~~ Society that they would not fight for their ing and country. and many le were indertandably shocked sone ke But the House may be sure that three- _ quarters, and may be more, of those young men did fight for their King and country when war came. So what hap- pens at university is sot conclusive either ate er Ren eg PM ee