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H 1 POA Pere ot ap ies ange case pepe vee EET rape = a t ‘ + * § % i weet aie ele te i ee Te wer eo EE 3519 Former Fhzn Office (Mr. Datnes.] « - * of inquiry just after he heard of the Maclean affair. (Hox. MiMBers: “No."] What my right hon. Friend conveyed to me was that -he was copnisant of the Maclean case only just before the sctting up of the committce of inquiry. Clause 10 of the White Paper says: “In January, 1949, the security authorities received @ report that certain Forcign Office information had feaked to the Soviet autho- rities some years earlicr.” Was my right hon. Friend, as Forcign Secretary, informed of that by his heads of departments, of by the security Mr. Morrison: 1 said I was informed in generat terms about certain problems which had arisen in the middle of April, 1951. To the best of my recollection that was the first time, I do not know. of course, what had been conveyed to earlier Foreign Secretaries. My hon. Fricnd has misundesstood what 1 said about the inquiry. It was not into the case of Burgess and Maclean specifically but into the question of whether the in- ternal arrangements affecting security were adequate. It was a useful inquiry, which I think did useful work, . I come to the record of these two men and my feasons for thinking that there is ground for some unhappiness about the way in which they were treated. Maclean was guilty of disgraceful conduct in Cairo in 1950. Apparently he got drunk; got out of hand, went 10 a party in a fiat and proceeded to smash the place up. § do not think that overstrain and Grunkenness are adequate explanations of, if they are, that they are adequate excuses for conduct of that sort on the pert of an important officer of the ‘oreign Office serving abroad. , . Both men were Communists at Cam- bridge, and I have dealt with that point. ‘The White Paper says both of them were cured when they left the university. Whether that was so or not we cannot now be quite sure. The White Paper assumes that because Burgess joined the Anglo-German Club thal is evidenced to the effect that he was cured. 1 am speak- ing from memory, but my recollection is that the Anglo-German Club about 1935-36 was a body under some suspicion as being under Nazi influence. - . Mr, Hugh Dalton (Bishop AvckJand): Tt stank with Nazis. : .....: uc.» 7 NOVEMBER 1955 — Officials—-Disuppearance 1520. “are particufarly likely to Mr, Morrison: My right hoo. Friend; being more proletarian in his language 1 than [ am, and having had a siniversiy education, says it stank with Nazis, and I am prepared to accept that. It is no? defence of Burgess, in any event, that he { slid from the Communists to the Angl- German Club, in wets gees RJ Ni is recorded in the White Paper, and - has been stated by the Secretary of State, * that carly in 1950 Burgess was reported for indiscreet talk about secret matters in the fater part of 1949. For that, after a hearing by a disciplinary board, he was severely reprimanded. Later—but this was not until 1950 or 195], I am pot quite sure which—dthere were complaints as to his work and behaviour. at Washington. The State Department ; complained about is reckless motor driv- ing, and he was careless with confidential Papers. That situation was dealt with and he was brought home and was due for either resignation or dismissal. In ~ thy judgment, in the case of Burgess also, in view of careless talk about secret . matters in 1949, @ severe seprimand was not good enough. I think that in both of these cases they should, for those offences, have been dismissed. ry. + I do not like to say this but f feel 1 must say it. It is not a peculiarity of the Foreign Office for it runs through the Civil Service, and the motives are, ¥ think, ia many ways meritorious. it is not a mater to be recklessly condemned. ? 1 think that in the Civil Service as a whole—whether it is more so in the Foreign Office I do not know—there is a tendency, if an officer falls down on his job or is guilty of ao offence which somewhat Serious, to say, “ He is an old colleague. Can we not do something about it to prevent him from being fired? |. og aie oes Often what happens is that be may be transferred to other work. [Hon. Men- Bers: “Promoted.") 1 would not say “promoted,” fos that is perhaps going father far, but one never knows. He may be transferred to another State Department, and new State Departments et such men. Or he may be rebuked. 1 think that a little sacking now and again would not do any harm. It would do some hans to the men concerned but it might doa _ Jot of good to the rest of the Service. « fae Ee oe