§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD FRANCIS-WILLIAMSMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government why a "D" Notice was issued to the British Press on July 11 naming a Russian agent who had defected to the Americans more than eighteen months before, and whether the timing and form of this Notice was agreed with American security authorities.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (THE EARL OF DUNDEE)My Lords, on Thursday, July 11 the Services Press and Broadcasting Committee, with the full agreement of the Press representatives on the Committee, earnestly requested newspaper editors not to publish information about this defector. The man's name was included in the message to editors, which was marked "Private and Confidential", because it was thought right to take them into the Government's confidence and because it was assumed that they would refrain from publishing it or anything else about him. This request was made partly on grounds of national security and partly for the sake of the man's own personal safety. These considerations still apply. It would therefore be wrong for me to go further into the details of the case, as I am sure the House will understand. With regard to the second part of the Question, it is not customary to disclose confidential consultations which take place between Governments.
LORD FRANCIS WILLIAMSMy Lords, I thank the noble Earl for his not 446 wholly satisfactory reply. I speak with some knowledge of this situation; indeed, I think I may claim to be one of the initiators of the "D" Notice system when I was Controller of Press Censorship during the war and one of those who urged that some such system should be continued after the war. There was then (and I think it is perfectly proper) a matter in which the American security authorities were directly concerned—
§ LORD FRANCIS-WILLIAMS—and there had to be some consultation with the Americans. I should like to ask the noble Earl, without asking for any details which it would be wrong to request, whether any consultation of that kind took place, in view of the impression that has been created by this matter in the American Press?
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEENo, my Lords; I could not answer that without first of all consulting the American Government to see what their views about it would be. With regard to the antiquity of the "D" Notice, I am glad to hear of the noble Lord's interest, but I think it has been in existence since 1912, which was even a little before his time.
§ LORD HENDERSONMy Lords, in view of the two reasons which the noble Earl has given, why was the name included at all in the statement to the Press?
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, because it was anticipated that one newspaper was about to publish it, and therefore notices were sent out. The only method of preventing it from happening was to send out this "D" Notice to all the Press, in the hope that it would be observed, as it usually is. The only reason, I understand, why it was not in this case was that the editor of one newspaper suggested that, since the information came from a foreign source, he thought it might be published abroad anyhow.
§ LORD FRANCIS-WILLIAMSMy Lords, could not the purpose have been well met, without issuing a Notice which actually gave the name of the agent involved, by simply reminding the Press that in any such circumstances they 447 should clear with the Committee the publication of any story before actually publishing? That would have got the request to the Press without giving out this information.
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, that may well be, but it was expected that the name was about to be published the next day, and it was not known how many other papers might have it. It was the more specific that this procedure, which has nearly always been observed by the newspapers, as I am sure the noble Lord is aware, should be followed.
§ LORD STONHAMMy Lords, in view of the fact that, according to the noble Earl, part of the reason for the issue of the "D" Notice was the man's safety, why was it that subsequently the name of the man was issued for publication?
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, it was not issued for publication. It was published by one newspaper.
§ LORD MORRISON OF LAMBETHMy Lords, on the whole, I think that the Minister of State has made a good defence of the Government's action, except on the point of circulating the name, although I can see at any rate half a case for that. I see the difficulty that the Government were in. But does the noble Earl not realise that if in circulating a "D" Notice a person is named, then hundreds of people will hear of that name who otherwise would not have done so? Is that a good thing? Let me say, incidentally, that in my experience the British Press is, on the whole, most honourable in these matters and deserves high praise. But it really is asking for trouble if the name is circulated to so many people. The other point is this: can the Minister of State give any explanation of why it was so commonly assumed in many quarters, and published, that this man had defected to the British, whereas in fact he had defected to the Americans? Apart from the publication of the name on this side, it must in itself be annoying to the American security authorities if we unjustly claim the credit (if that is the right word) for this man's defection to us when he has defected to the Americans.
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, I am obliged to the noble Lord for the first part of his supplementary. I would just repeat that the name was issued confidentially and privately. As a rule, these "D" Notices and their confidential character are respected. In the alternative, if we had done nothing the name would have been published, and the next day not only a few hundred newspaper editors but millions of people all over the world would have known. With regard to the second part of the noble Lord's supplementary, no claim such as he suggests, was made, and I do not know how the idea which he has mentioned came to be entertained.
§ LORD CONESFORDMy Lords, can my noble friend say which paper revealed the name?
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, I do not think it is necessary for me to do that.
§ LORD FRANCIS-WILLIAMSMy Lords, in view of the fact that there was a break-down on this occasion—and there was, I think, a previous break-down in the Blake case when a notice was ignored by the Press—do the Government think it would be useful to have a further inquiry into the operation of this system, which obviously depends for its efficient working on complete confidence by the Press that they are being asked to exercise caution only when security actually requires it and that no other considerations are allowed to come in?
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEWhen there is no emergency system of censorship in operation, I think that the effectiveness of the "D" Notice can be preserved only by a relationship of trust between Press and the Government and between one newspaper and another. It almost invariably works well, and I should be reluctant to take any steps which might disturb it.