§ 12. Mr. Blackburnasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is now in a position to make a statement on the allegations by the ex-Chancellor of Austria that the contents of secret files of the Foreign Office were supplied to the Italian Government.
Mr. McNeilThe allegations made by the ex-Chancellor of Austria in his book "Austrian Requiem" have been closely and fully examined and we have concluded that the account given in his book is inaccurate. However, it undoubtedly refers to a series of leakages from the Embassy in Rome before the war, of which we have been aware. This leakage was the subject of an investigation in 1944, which revealed that an Italian servant, I regret to say, had been able to remove documents from the Embassy in Rome over a considerable period. This servant, apprehended after the war, admitted what he had done and stated that he had received considerable sums of money from the Italian authorities.
We also believe that Count Ciano was in the habit of boasting that he had a 759 source in the Foreign Office which provided him with the contents of secret files affecting Italy. It is thought, however, that this was the device by which Ciano sought to cover up the actual source of information, which we now know to have been the Rome Embassy. I perhaps should mention that Ciano gives a clearer account of the leakages in his book.
§ Mr. BlackburnWhile I thank my right hon. Friend for his answer, may I ask him specifically to repudiate this repetition by a Communist Member of the Fascist insinuation against that very distinguished public servant, Lord Vansittart?
Mr. McNeilI am indebted to my hon. Friend for giving me this opportunity to make a statement. I did think from reading HANSARD, that the attack was directed largely against the Foreign Service, particularly in the Foreign Office, and I am certainly glad to have this opportunity of saying that although we have made the most careful investigation, we are satisfied that no leakage occurred at this end but that this unfortunate and inexcusable leakage took place at our Embassy in Rome.
Mr. McNeilI made most careful inquiries. We held him and questioned him, and I have no doubt that our language was not too tender; but he was an Italian national and we had no power to proceed against him.
§ Mr. Richard LawCould the right hon. Gentleman say whether our security arrangements at our missions abroad have been tightened up recently?
Mr. McNeilAs the right hon. Gentleman knows, a section of the Service is constantly engaged on security supervision. I do not think I need assure him that this particular leakage was stopped firmly a long time ago.