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8 Nothin "would undermine the #n- fidence Of our people in the” .. Foreign Service,” ,., , Tha Foretgn Secretary, Mr, Harold Macmitlan. - tome ergs ame * a Ss . A io 06anythin HE bill for Britain's Foreign Service | this year is some ~ #£20,000,000. Rightly it is a.- _ proud service. arcounted This year 230 young men and . women, all university graduates with honours degrees (others + need not apply). sought entry to “A Branch.” Only 14 were suc- _ cessful, 12 young men and two - ./ young women. They alone sur-~ - ~ i vived the two - day written ” examination followed by the t close scrutiny of a 2i-day per- Sonal “ vetting " by members of the selection Board. __ For life? I FYER surviving. that the 14 have had to- be “screened” by: ty officers of the Foreign” : cé personnel branch with ‘ inguiries, intensified’ since the. Bt TRESS « Maclean affair, we ete ee the ee a oe 7 ed 4 " sould be: worse | which ¢ Rightly it is_ ‘something to hve “a job in ite Foreign . into | ‘ ® are career men i port adversely uj exe . their f amilies, background, " habits, private lives. 7 ph.% they now have jobs for Ife, a !: period of grooming with service - at home and abroad. and before | them the prospect of Jobs worth between £2,000 and £3,000 a . $par. £5,000 a year, much more they reach ambassadorial rank. t ‘The Foreign | Service stilt eyes : ita “A” members beneficenti always errs to overlook private ! misdemeanours. and indiscre- - _ thons. It is atill the tradition of . the Service to. “protect” its | members, to Jet nothing esca : that would .“ undermine. o: confidence of our people.” Rare ‘axe’. HAT happens to any- . one in the Service’ who misbehaves? A | reprimand, a transfer? Never, \) or véry rarely, the “axe.” Yer , almost everyone in the Service. ’ from the upper strata “A Branch” career men to clerks and typists, cannot help in a forelgn post coming into posses- sion of confidential information, Some facts about procedure, offica routine, passage of docu- ents are known to everyone.: If is common knowledge in any bassy or Legation who is “Five.” “Six” (MI5 end MIB6) , agd who js “ Security.” Anyone | Mable to be “got at” could fur: ish an enemy aren, with valu, fo . “able clues. The Forelgn ‘Office has its ;own security men. resident (in ‘the larger Embassies} or vyislt- . ‘ing. Some check’ physical security, safes, the guard on. “ godes, classification, and circula- tion of documents dispoeal or notes and waste. toe ; Personnel branch hes its own | ‘security men. checking on the, ‘behaviour and ovrivate lives of. J employees. Inspecting the per ; sonal dossier which accom ° panies every officer through his. But these ‘officers They are in’? é lne for.promotion, and it is ex-2 “pketing much that they should + Bav. ah s¥perior who. may in the near), jigture have considerable ‘influs;| re ee on thelr own promotion. = is something which should’ chanked: changed: without deli delay. e or her career. “THIS IS THE’ DANGER’ ‘OF? us “INSIDE” ‘SECURITY ‘MEN: ales Gene iv , " Liberalised © Those hurdles behind them a} rt Te ae hte Te ‘ae re wi hers my, URING: the war Service was liberal to mould ' whole, The change opened the - ‘top diplomatic posta to men who previously had been lim! qo to say, consular tank, Gra mar school boys who had won _ through to university and hon- ours degrees got their chance. ’ This year among the 14 success-, ful “A Branch" candidates: three were grammar school |..— . boys! three in 14, that is about the annual ratio, The rest - -were from public schools. People in the Service sav the’ changes have not been as radical « ould appear from this. Phe * right family background #ill 4 ceqints. There $s still a“ gol en r@d" in the Service. n other parts of White all | Vil Servants, Servants Sisciiss_cvnlesty evnt aly LW at “they call ‘the ” Fore! ce “ Protection Society.” - mi 18 te, the Foreign Service, tl * 4 1 e” people” who) say .it is’ "« protective " and that that is 20 si} major failing. It is “protected * from public opinion, is sted remote, | nn a4 Typical of ‘enle was the de 4 cision made when Burgess and ; / Maclean fled the country to be‘ ‘as uncommunicative as pos-1! sible; typical Foreign Office J attitide now on that decision is® ’ the comment: "it ciated risk.” Wa mi hat was the-risk ena i} t people of Britain, the ri ‘Lane frank ? Nothing coud ave been more calculated £0 | Wadermine public o confidence. £ bh hee . 2 @ com-— ponent branches into one large. ‘{ A was *, gale; : epee Br. Tolson___ Mr. Boardman. Mr. Nichol¢___. My, Belmont___ . Harbo. Mr. Mohr Mr. Parsons. Mr. Risen . Mr. yamm Teles Room te. Helwan, i Mig?“ uady Soe ee See se ce ee;