OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22520, 30 September 1938, Page 14

OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT

♦ —— ' .;'. SELECT COMMITTEE'S FINDING (OTRTKB PMBS «.BSOCUTICHi- ~COPTftla«*.) (Received September 29, 7.10 p.m.) . LONDON, September 28. The Select Committee set up t« inquire into the actipn of Mr Duncan Sandys, M.F„; in regard tc th« Official Secrets Act; reported. j: that there was no doubt that the document from which the figures were obtained was secret.

It believed that Mr Sandys knew that he was receiving secret information, but was satisfied that he was unaware that Hogan was acting wrongly concerning it. " It added that Mr Sandys's threat to the Secretary for War (Mf*L. Hore-Belisha) that he would raise the question in Parliament was unjustified and the element of subsequent misunderstanding was originally introduced by Mr Sandys. The committee acquitted the At-torney-General (Sir Donald Somerville) of any intention to threaten Mr Sandys with the use of his, compulsory powers of interrogation, but thinks that he could have prevented such circumstances arising. The committee expressed the opinion that no exception could be taken to Mr Sandys being ordered to attend a Court of Inquiry as a witness.