The view is expressed in the Westminster Gazette that, so
far as Mr. Runciman is concerned, the incident may be regarded as closed. We cannot for a moment agree. In the first place Mr. Runciman has still to repair the grave injustice be has done to a distinguished official by allowing him to shoulder the responsibility of circulating a memorandum the circulation of which was, as a matter of fact, ordered by some one else at present unnamed. In the circumstances Mr. Runciman's first duty was to shield a subordinate. Instead of that, his first speech was one long variation on the theme "Please, Sir, it wasn't me." It was only as an after-thought that be had anything to say on behalf of Mr. Holmes. But the contents of the circular are as nothing compared to the great principle of departmental responsibility involved. If the head of a department, to save his skin, is prepared to throw his permanent staff to the wolves on the slightest pro- vocation, the solidarity of our Civil Service goes by the board. We hold no brief for Sir Robert Morant, but we cordially endorse the protest of Mr. Hoare, in Monday's Morning Post, against the suggestion that the Permanent Secretary, or any othei official, should fall a victim to agitation. As he pointedly observes, "when a Minister does not exercise proper control, we cannot blame the permanent officials for adopting policies of their own."
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