Captain CRAIGasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether any record has been kept of the persons to whom the printed copies of Captain Bacon's letters to the First Sea Lord were issued; how many copies of each letter were printed; whether they were issued as private and confidential; or for the purpose of being made public; how many copies are now in the possession of the First Sea Lord; and can the copies not in his possession, though printed, be accounted for?
§ Mr. T. ARNOLD HERBERTOn a point of order with regard to this and a number of subsequent questions on this subject I wish to state that the matter was brought to your attention last week on a question of privilege, and you thereupon suggested that the courts were the proper tribunal for dealing with the matter. It will probably shortly be sub judice, and I desire to ask whether it is in order in these circumstances to ask questions in the interest of one of the parties which, if answered, may prejudice the position of any other party to the litigation?
§ Mr. SPEAKEROf course, if there is any probability of the matter coming before the courts, it would be very undesir 822 able to ask questions here. I have not seen any statement or heard any statement to. that effect. It is possible that the hon. Member may have some private information.
§ Mr. T. A. HERBERTI should not have asked the question unless I had seen it stated in the newspapers that the matter had been laid before eminent counsel for their opinion, with the view to proceedings being taken. It is in these circumstances. that I ask your ruling.
§ Mr. SPEAKERProbably the best judge in the matter will be the First Lord of the Admiralty. He would have heard and would know whether steps had been taken or not. Of course, if he declines to answer on that ground, the House will support him.
§ Lord ROBERT CECILMay I ask whether there is not involved in this question a matter of great public interest, apart altogether from the interests of individuals and any possible legal proceedings?
§ Mr. SPEAKERCertainly a question of administration arises, but it will be obvious that if, as the hon. Gentleman suggests, the matter is coming before the courts immediately it would he undesirable to discuss it here.
§ Mr. McKENNAThere is no record of any issue of copies of the letters in question, and so far as I am aware no issue in the ordinary meaning of the word took place. Twenty-five copies of one letter were printed, and 50 of the other. Only one copy of each is now in the possession of the First Sea Lord; the remainder were destroyed long ago.
§ Mr. MEYSEY-THOMPSONWill the right hon. Gentleman inform the House whether any proceedings have been taken?
§ Mr. McKENNAI have no knowledge regarding that.
Captain CRAIGMay I ask whether it is a fact that several officers commanding ships abroad received copies of this letter while in active service?
§ Mr. McKENNASo far as I am aware that is not so, but the whole of this happened before I was at the Admiralty, and I do not know very much about it.
Captain CRAIGMay I ask whether the Admiralty have tendered any apology to the hon. Member for King's Lynn?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat question does not arise here.
§ Mr. BELLAIRSMay I ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he has asked the First Sea Lord whether he circulated any copies of Captain Bacon's letter outside the Admiralty?
§ Mr. McKENNAYes, I have asked the question, and the First Sea Lord tells me that the matter occurred three years ago when he was hard at work, and that his recollection of the whole circumstances is so dim that he cannot be sure whether he showed the letter to anybody or not, but his impression is that he did not.
§ Mr. BELLAIRSAm I to understand that there is no record at the Admiralty of the First Sea Lord having circulated the letter at all after a close inquiry and search has been made?
§ Mr. McKENNAThat is so. There is no record of any circulation of this letter at all.
§ Mr. McKENNAThey were destroyed, long ago—I should say probably two years ago.
Captain CRAIGasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether Captain Bacon. was requested to report on his brother officers on the active or retired lists, or whether the recent correspondence which has been made public was written on his own initiative; and whether it is in accordance with the regulations and traditions of the Admiralty that such communications should be addressed by a junior officer direct to the First Sea Lord?
§ Mr. McKENNACaptain Bacon did not report on his brother officers; he was not requested so to report. Captain Bacon's private letters have been made public without his knowledge or authority. The imputations sought to be cast on Captain Bacon by the hon. Member are entirely without warrant. I must beg the hon. Gentleman not to couch his questions in a form which must be offensive to a distinguished naval officer.
Captain CRAIGMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he is aware that I have seen a copy of the letter, which distinctly comments in the way I have mentioned in the question, and, further, 824 whether he is aware that one other brother officer has been struck very hard by the action Captain Bacon took?
§ Mr. CHARLES CRAIGMay I ask whether, if this letter of Captain Bacon's has been made public, he has only his friend Sir John Fisher to blame for the fact?
§ Mr. LONSDALEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he would explain why it was considered necessary to print 50 copies of one of Captain Bacon's letters and only 25 copies of the other
§ Mr. McKENNAThe order for the two letters was given at different times. An order for a few copies, as the hon. Gentleman is aware, might at one time be marked for 25 and at another for 50 copies.
§ Mr. LONSDALEHas the right hon. Gentleman given any instructions as to the copies of the letters which were printed?
§ Mr. McKENNAI have stated that only one of each was preserved. The rest of the copies were destroyed long ago.
§ Mr. LONSDALEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it is usual to edit all confidential documents printed for convenience of record at the Admiralty?
§ Mr. McKENNAThere is no office rule on this subject. The question of editing a document (other than textual corrections) would appear to depend on whether it is to be published or not. It follows, therefore, that there is no obligation to edit a confidential document printed for convenience of record at the Admiralty—though, as I have stated, it is desirable to edit such documents if they contain any personal references.
§ Major ANSTRUTHER-GRAYWill the right hon. Gentleman ensure that in future private and confidential documents shall be marked "private and confidential"?
§ Mr. McKENNAI do not think it is a matter of the very gravest importance.
§ Mr. LONSDALEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he would state how many naval correspondents of the First Sea Lord were now engaged in furnishing reports similar to those written by Captain Bacon, R.N.; and when was this system first instituted?
§ Mr. McKENNAI regret that I can only read the hon. Member's question as intended to make an imputation upon 825 Captain Bacon. From answers to questions already given in this House the hon. Members should be aware that such an imputation is without warrant, and its repetition is quite unjustified.
§ Mr. LONSDALEWill the right hon. Gentleman say whether any steps were taken to ensure the letters being treated as private and confidential?
§ Mr. McKENNASo far as Captain Bacon is concerned he could take no steps. Captain Bacon's name ought not to be brought into this matter at all except that he wrote the letter. If there was a wrong done in printing, Captain Bacon was not in the least responsible for it. So far as he was concerned they were purely private letters written to an old friend, and he had not the slightest knowledge that the letters were to be printed or used in any way whatever.
§ Captain CRAIGMay I ask why Captain Bacon dragged the name of a Member of this House into the correspondence?
§ Mr. LONSDALEasked whether the circulated copies of the letter written by Captain Bacon were in each case accompanied by a request for their return.
§ Mr. McKENNAI am not aware that any copies of the letter written by Captain Bacon were circulated.
§ Lord BALCARRESWere the copies of this letter which were sent out by the Admiralty accompanied in each case by a request for their return?
§ Mr. McKENNAI have stated the whole of my information on this subject. It all happened long before I was at the Admiralty.
§ Lord ROBERT CECILasked whether any letters containing reflections on naval officers had been printed and circulated besides the two letters which had been already officially acknowledged; and, if so, whether these letters in all cases contained observations of value to the naval service?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe Noble Lord must understand that the two letters to which he refers were printed three years ago, two years before I was at the Admiralty. All printed correspondence that I have seen contains observations of value to the naval service. I have not read, and I do not propose to read, all the volumes of printed matter recorded at the Admiralty.
§ Mr. ARTHUR LEEIs the right hon. Gentleman, in the administration for which he is now responsible, taking steps. to eliminate as far as possible the unnecessary printing of documents of this character, and is he also taking steps to see that they are edited in the way he suggested in some of his answers; further, is he taking steps to see that copies of these private and confidential documents are not allowed to get away from the confidential files of the Admiralty?
§ Mr. McKENNAYes. The hon. Gentleman may rest assured that I will do, my best not to fail in my duty in these particulars.
§ Mr. ASHLEYasked on what date Captain Bacon's letter reflecting on an hon. Member of this House was sent to the printer?
§ Mr. McKENNAIn April, 1906, immediately, or almost immediately, after its. receipt.