The Home Secretary and Official Secrets Sir Samuel Hoare's statement
in the House of Commons last week has not entirely dispelled the alarm which is widely felt regarding the use recently made of the Official Secrets Acts. It is true that the assurances the Home Secretary gave went a good deal further than those of any of his prede- cessors. The " exceptional and drastic powers of interroga- tion" conferred by Section 6 of the i920 Act are not in future to be invoked except in cases where the information suspected to have been wrongfully disclosed is of " serious public importance." All chief officers of police are to be notified accordingly. So far so good, although what matters the Home Office regards as serious have yet to be ascertained. But on the other hand it is made clear that the operation of the Acts will not be confined to espionage and similar offences. This is unfortunate. Although the Home Secretary was reluctant to admit it, no one who reads the debates of 192o can have much doubt that in assenting to the section in question the Commons believed that they were striking solely at spies and spying. Now it is appa- rently suggested that the ordinary methods of police investiga- tion are inadequate for inquiring into cases of suspected corruption.. If this difficulty exists the proper course is to seek further powers from Parliament. There is no justification for the employment in such inquiries of machinery which was created on the understanding that it was designed exclusively for another purpose.
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