HC Deb 01 April 1952 vol 498 c1412
Mr. Charles Ian Orr-Ewing

(by Private Notice) asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can make any statement about the papers found in London and indicating that they emanated from the Harwell Atomic Energy Research Establishment.

The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Sir David Maxwell Fyfe)

This incident has been reported on the appropriate day; but in vain is the net spread in the sight of the bird. Inquiries soon showed that the papers found in the street, although they were marked "Top Secret" and purported to come from Harwell, bore no relation to atomic secrets at Harwell or any other atomic establishment. The whole thing is a stupid hoax by a schoolboy who no doubt regarded it as an appropriate contribution to the celebration of April Fool's Day.