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aoe a eeneey Maa 1603 1. Former FX cign Office °F NOVEMBER 1955 , {Mr Ropers} os te It is very important that ‘should for a Communisi sympathiser from Bet- have that clearly in our minds I do not 4 mondsey and another for a Communist think that anything the right hon. Gentles ae sympathiser from Cambridge University? man said was meant in any way to deay - These are matters that trouble us and that, but this is something that goes out } trouble the general public, and we believe beyond the confines of our discussion, and i that only inquiries on the Jines that we 1 think that for the reputation of our ° have indicated will do anything at all to Service, which is stift very high in the... allay public disquiet about them. I hope World. we ought to make that absolutely ~ that the Prime Minister will not turn them Plain. If mistakes were made, they wera, | lightly aside, but will recognise that he "01 that kind of mistake ; they were not has a duty to the House and the country, ven femotely . tinged, with and will be prepared to accept the sug- font heke ted eae aus. f gestions about inquiries made by the Before I come to the subject’ of the Opposit ve debate, 1 want for a moment to refer to 9.22 pm. ~ ™ . what was said by the tight hon. Member. The Prime Minister (Sir Aathosy for Lewisham, th at the beginning of. Ede): J can at least ascure the right hon. his speech. From our side of the House Member for Blyth (Mr. Robens) that I I should fike to say a word about Will shall not Sightly turn aside any suggestions Whiteley. because although he was Chief Which have been made in this debate, Whip of the Opposition and earlier Chief which, I must frankly say. is the one out Whip of the Government, 1 am sure that of my thiny years’ experience of the it would be true to say that he had couat- House of Commons in which J take part less friends on this side of the House and with the greatest personal regret. oe ginele enemy. tt is men like tin Xi so happens thai nearly ali my public GPO go the tolling and work in Wife has lain in work with the Forcigs Ch#Mbet quictly who do so much to make Office. For ten years 1 was Foreign gue pari mentary Ensitutions Possible " toh i A 'e should salute his me: rom Secretary, which is a long time by any signe of the House io that spirit a great. Standa It was in 1926, just after the i ‘ ‘ Locarno Treaties, that I frst worked Parliamentarian though he was silent.:_. there. J have Known individually, as _ Now I seturn to the questions I have many right hon. Gentlemen have Known, been asked and to the debate. The right Many of the leading members of the hon. Member for Lewisham, South ssid Foreign Service. The right hon. Mem- something about the duties of the Foreiga’ ber for Bishop Auckland (Mr. Dalton) Secretary and how heavy they were. --1. Was one of my predecessors as Under- do sot at all deny that, How could J? Secretary, ft But they are heavy ino way somewhat 1 must start by saying that this has ‘different from other Departments of State. been a very sad da y for the Foreign Ser. The Foreign Office is essentially a Policy vice, and 2 very Po day for our country, Making Department and therefore the too, because “the reputation of Foreign Secretary’s duties are a strain, be Foreign Service is part of our national cause at any bour of the day and most reputation. Personally, I think 'we could hours of the night he may be asked w have done no other than offer and hold make some decision which affects policy. this debate in view of all that bas That does not happen in the same way B happened. out .2 0: a3 coy - 7 Other great administrative Depariments. 3 do not want to stress the personal’: % do not think that the sight boa: side of it too much, but I should like tg Gentleman meant to give the impression, say how much I agree with one observa~ —if he did, ¥ should tike to correct it— tion which fell from the right hon. Mem- that on that account Foreign Secretaries for Lewisham, South (Mr. HL do not give pretty close attention to the Morrison), that whatever mistakes there personnel of their office, doth at bome might or might not have been in this busi- .and abroad. They do, and all importanl mess, one thing which is quite certain is Appointments both al home and abroad, that nobody at the Foreign Office at a certainly in my experience, were brought { time, no senior official or other official, to me. That brings me to say a wi 5h biaae talent PO tried t cover up any form of disloyalty, oo the subject of the Foreign Service as - fo the State, pea eh sepsrn teed en it is now and the reforms of which the uD . [ eae ee ete! aepad