§ 2. Lieut.-Colonel Cordeauxasked the Attorney-General if he will authorise the prosecution of Hamish Hamilton Limited and Mr. Montgomery Hyde, publishers and author, respectively, of the book "The Quiet Canadian", on the ground that it contains breaches of the Official Secrets Act.
§ Lieut-Colonel CordeauxIs my right hon. and learned Friend really telling the House that no breach of the Official Secrets Acts has taken place in the writing and publication of a book that describes in detail the work of one of the head agents of the British Secret Intelligence Service? Can he assure us that the publication of this book had the full approval of the present head of the Service, and, if it did, will he say what advice one should give to former members of the Service who will now, of course, be encouraged to cash in on their own personal knowledge of similiar sensational events and interesting and intriguing bits of information, such as Sir Stuart Menzies's successors?
§ The Attorney-GeneralIn answer to the first part of my hon. and gallant Friend's supplementary question, I am not, of course, saying that an offence cannot have been committed but only that I do not have any evidence in my possession upon which I could order a prosecution. Neither the author nor the publishers are Crown servants, and I have no evidence at all that any of the matter contained in the book was obtained by either the author or the pub- 1124 lishers in the course of the public service. I have no evidence, therefore, that an offence under Section 2 (1) has been committed nor any evidence that any other offence has been committed. As to the second and third parts of my hon. and gallant Friend's supplementary question, these are matters for my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and not for me.
§ Mr. EdelmanWhile recognising that in a formal sense this question is in order, is it not the case that it would be more in accordance with the traditions of the House that where a serious and unspecified charge is made against men, in this case men of the highest reputation and character, the names should be communicated privately to the Attorney-General and that the Order Paper should not be used as a public pillory?
§ Mr. SpeakerThe method to which the hon. Gentleman refers is sometimes adopted. I have already written to the hon. Gentleman about this. I cannot say that the Question is in any way out of order.