◆ SpookStack

Helms : Yes, certainly. Hathaway: Can you tell me a little about it? Helms : I don't remember the details as to how it came about, but somebody was making allegations with respect to I don't know about this any more. It's an I absolute blank in my mind. I simply know that there were some allegations and I believe that they were looked into and investigated as carefully as one can do these things. The fact that I lwas vindicated, it seems to me, was probably the right answer. I never had any personal reason to suspect that he was I 1 working for the opposition. In fact, I always felt the contrary. But I don't remember any more where the allegations came from. But I had a policy with respect to, a personal policy with respect to people, staff members who were accused or where it was alleged that they might be in touch with a hostile service or be a double agent or something of this kind. And that was that I felt that we owed any staff man against whom allegations of this kind were made not only the fullest kind of examination but the fullest opportunity to clear himself if he could. I did not like a policy which had been, I believe, I don't know for how long, but at least under previous Directors, of getting rid of people because there were allegations. They couldn't be proven but the circumstantial case was such that it was better to get 24