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NI we PURE Te TU Ra ph ae emt Se I a ag Hall i ba 7 te wee add . : PO ee Sa + o> “ws .,4a” noo we db ede. a. ' 4 brit . - a . , et “ fe i iL nes tee g t eet oe + ewe . re Liv aa -~ it ro feo aede eel ' - re we oe od erm ace ' na is ta ae otF ‘ “+ + fs wid ! whee ore ct eRe eee ee ee Ao we ETS 1495 Former Foreign Office 7 NOVEMBER 195$ Officials —-Disapprarance (MR. MACMILLAN] © 0 7 8Gr 2 Lenk ot was pur at the head of the American Depariment. . - - This Department in the Foreign Office deals principally with Latin-American affairs. Major questions relating to the United States are dealt with regionally — for instance, N.A.T.O. affairs would come under the Western Organisations Department, Middle East affsirs would come under the Middle Eastern Departe ment. The United Statcs questions which are dealt with by the American Depart- ment are largely routine, welfare of forces, visitors, and the like. The appointment implied no promotion for Maclean and provided an opportunity to watch his conduct and his health. Toe. At this time, may I remind the House, No suspicion rested on him. As soon ag he fell under suspicion, in the middle of April, 1951, one of those informed was Sir Roger Makins, now our distinguished and highly successful Ambassador in Washington. Sir Roger was then his immediate chief, being the Superintendin Under-Secretary of the group into which this Department fell. 11 is, however, quite untrue, as has been sugeested, that Sir Roger Makins was in any way responsible for the conduct of an inquiry, or that he checked or cleared Maclean. It is not the case at all and such a sugeestion is false and grossly unfair to Sir Roger Makins. That is the career of Maclean wp fo date. Burgess’s career-— - Mr. §. Shinwell (Easington): How did Maclean come under suspicion? =. Mr. Macmillan: I am coming to that Jater. 11 is in great detail. Thal is Mac- Jean's career up to date, how he got in, how promoted, and what was his career up to the date of the suspicion. = g Burgess's careef in the Foreign Service was, of course, totally different from that of Maclean's. He was taken on as tem- porary Press Officer in the News Depart- ment of the Foreign Office, which was then housed in the Ministry of Informa- tion, in 1944. His previous career, to the extent that it was then known, gave what seemed to be a respectable background. He had served with the B.B.C. for six + Burgess proved useful to Mr. McNeil © { he had been guil en a nese a mem geae ee 1496. responsible for propaganda’ to’ neutral - countries. The appointment to the News . Department was temporary and did not | involve establishment. In 1945, he took advantage of the opportunity open to temporary officers to apply for establish- ment in the junior branch of the Foreiga . Service. He appeared before a Civil Service Commission Board which duly — recommended him for establishment. ‘ ~ . ’ i se rer a ae Jn fairness to the Board, I ought to - say that it was impressed by Burgess’s excellent academic record as well as by the good reports which it received cover- ing his employment in the B.B.C. and ig the Foreign Office News Department. However, I must atso say that we now know that Burgess’s work while with the wartime Department, to which J have re- ferred, had been unsatisfactory. Tt is, uae fortunately, the case that during the war -~and perhaps one can hardly wonder a¢ it—many wartime Departments did not keep good rds about their temporary a we te me wee flee we remains that neither the nor the Civil Service Com- mission knew of Burgess's failings. This process by which he was established was not completed until October, 1947, In the meantime. the late Mr. Hector McNeil, who was then Minister of State, asked that Burgess be appointed to his private office as a personal assistant be- | cause of his experience in drafting and eneral publicity work, and this was done in December, 1946... ee. nett who recommended him for promotion to the senior branch of the Foreign Service, but as there was a good deal of doubt about his suitability for the senior branch, and as he had hittle experience of the ordinary duties of the Foreign Office x thorough trial on routine work in the Far Eastern Department." > ~ --." was decided that he should be given a - -" While he’ was working’in that Depart- ment, allegations were made that during a period of leave abroad, late in 1949, of a serious indiscre- tion about intelligence matters. The charges were fully investigated by a dis- a poe { “4 a ¥ * wet Oi x Ps 7 Ce ite. O84 ae ciplinary board, and he was severely r From early 1939 until the end of 1940, reprimanded, informed that he would be : Burgess worked in the special Depart- transferred and that his prospects of pro- nS ment which, on the outbreak of war, was motion would be diminished, =-~’ --+-- rr ‘ vce eee ee ee AE TAR eect og a . pk eS aa Se ce ee Oa 4 : 7° ~ x. lee . * Te . . we i ee eles n: were ae mem ac 5. ee | © rer - = baal 7 ew eee gees ee weg - st, SEE 7