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He, edie abies. ahh, As many joumatists and editors have goad reason fpr’ kpowing, Lady Violet Bonham Catter is a tenacious cob- tdoversiulist, and mere self-interest would make me withdraly from what | wrote last week if T thought ber letter to the Editor of the Specraar this week. were justified, | have three points to make in reply. (0) T never suggesied thal she had, used her influence io-aiféct official decisions in the interests -of Burgess and Maclean. I was talking about the subtle influence which is exercised by members of what 1 call the ‘Establishment’ in creating-an attitude of mind to the whole gugstion of the disappearance of Burgess and Maclean. No dopbt they did it for the hest possible reasons—we all, L hope, wuld stand by our fnends—~but there can be little doubt that, botause they knew ‘sy many of the right t people, a great dat! Aan tet nate oft pressure was brought to bear in 1951 ‘and 1952 to discount the more sensational stories about Burgess and Maclean. GD dy Violet says that all she did was to write a letter to The Ftnies about the *hounding’ of Mrs. Maclean and her family and relations. is she quite sure that she never sought to bring pressure to bear ag the Express newspapers on precisely this question? Is she quite sure that it was not duc to any inter- vention on her part that the attitude of the Daily Express . became a matter, not just of editorial concern, but of maa: gerial and perhups even proprietorial concern? (Hi} As 1 believe the Editor of the Spectator makes clear in a footnote © to Lady Violet's letter, neither he nor F approve of the ‘houad- ing’ of the family or relations of ‘malefactors. {proved or suspect)” But the point is that at po time did Mrs. Maclean“ show any inclination fo cut herself off from the press. Never did she complain to any individual jouraalist, She normally - said what she had to say ‘oll the record.’ On one occasion when she did say something “on the record’ to a number of journalists, she telephoned ta Fleet Street io deny what she ud said even before che story itself had reached Fleet Strdet. -‘Rhis does not seem to be the behaviour of an innocent woman , Hpunded" by the press, It suggests rather that she was being guided by mea extremely skilled in handling the press, ae