◆ SpookStack

fLrevt.-CoLonet Lirron +: have come to the conclusion ‘that if Burgess and Maclean had pot left the country all] that would have happened would have been that Burgess would have been asked to resign on pain of dismissal and would probably have re-" signed in that way. Maclean might still have been carrying on in some capacity in the Foreign Office because, up to the time of his disappearance, there was still fo evidence against him to justify pro- ceedings under the Official Secrets Act. ¢ When these two men disappeared, the’ first statement on the subject was made’ on 1th June, 1951, in this House, § Bugeested on that occasion that it looked as if perhaps their immediate dismissal might be justified’ 1 was told that it: would be premature to come to # con- clusion about it one way or the other. The House seemed to accept that, and as the White Paper reveals, one year afterwards these (wo men were suspended almost a weck after they had dis- appeared. It took a week for somebody to make up his mind that they ought to be suspended. After they had been suspended they were still Kept on the Foreign Office list because a decision to terminate their appointments was sot taken until Ist June, 1952, with effect as from Ist June, 1951. . ' BT Lan yy " auf ‘That struck me a! the time as very. odd and I asked s Question about the delay of one year and when it was finally Secided 10 dispense definitely and per-_ manently with the services of these mea. This és the reply I received from the Daas ince! gies tex of State at the Foreign Officey- . - “*1t 3s Because the search of them was con- toving. Andced, the search is still continuing. But, Baving been absent without lave for a year, my night bon. Friend has considered that as a disciplinary measure their appointments should be terminated and that they should be° Gismissed the’ Service."—{Orricua, Repost, nd dudy, 19525 Vol $03,.€ 417) 5 2. in July, 1982, a year afterwards, some- body had taken the terrible decision that the time had come when the appoint ments of these two men should be Rerminated is td ges itrilen “I merely mention that decause’ it is: symptomatic of the attitude, atmosphere or spirit which apparently prevailed in- the Foreign Office at the time, and still je OM ngye cee toe 1579" Former Forelgn Office’ T NOVEMBER 1958" Offidels Disappearance | Y540 *.? right hon. Gentleman who is now Minis-: : * prevallf.” As’ matter ‘of fact, I wai to flabbergasted and breathless at that seply* °, that I was unable to ask another Question about the subject for eightcen months.’ * ‘On 25th January, 1984, I decided to; take the plunge again. IT asked the right | hon. Gentleman. who is now the Minister. + of Supply what was going on, and he said _ that investigations were continuing, but: no deiailed account of their nature could’ be given without préjudicing the chance -- of their success” I was then told, ‘in another blinding revelation of the ob-’ : vious, that if I presumed that these’ tw men’ were behind the fron Curtain E should probably be right. Ir will be noted that even then the right hon. Gentiem was not committing himself to anything. Anyhow, I waited another year.’ On: = 31st January, 1955, I asked the Secretary. of State for Foreign Affiairs what was! :- going on. - The right hon. Gentleman who. 3s now the Minister of State replicd that he had no statement to make at that moment —this is the illuminating sentence’ —-the reason being that he would not wish: to make a statement based on inadcquate’ information and insufficient researches: seeing that the investigation was still. £ deing pursued: aa 3 a) So at the beginning this year no. Slatement could be made, research was still going on, the information was inade-, quate, and there was “nothing more to. say al the moment.” The Forcign Secte-: tary was asked about i on 27th April;: “Nothing to add.” , One of the Joint. Under-Secretaries was asked about it 9a, th June; “ Nothing to add.”, ws t ele got a White Paper which vir-! tually had nothing to add to what every- body already knew, and we have today: had an eloquent speech, full of interesting; political . philosophy, - by: the Foreign.” = Secretary which adds nothing at all to: } what anyone who has been following this. matter with his own unaided. resources* has been able to discover. if tan. a “Sn those circumstances, it is not at all surprising that the White Paper has met a: unanimity of obloquy rare in the history, of White Papers issued by any Govera-. ment since White Papers have been‘ issued, whatever that date might have’ been. -It has been condemned every." where: ¥ will not weary the House, by detailing the journals from which these