BRITAIN'S NEW SECRET SERVICE

Horowhenua Chronicle, 30 April 1937, Page 2

BRITAIN'S NEW SECRET SERVICE

SIR THOMAS INSKIP REVEALS BRANCH TO WATCH MOVES BY FOREIGN POWERS Britain has two new and important branches of the Secret Service—onecomposed of men from the three fighting services; the other a "trade intelligence" for investigations abroad. Sir Thomas Inskip, Defence Minister, mentioned the new branches during the debate on the Government's resolution to borrow £400,000,000 in the next five years for the Navy, Army and Air Force. The resolution was carried by 329 votes to 145. "Recently," said Sir Thomas, "a joint intelligence committee was formed from representatives of all three Services, which worked under the Chiefs of Staff, and we have also formed a committee of industrial intelligence relating to foreign countries. "It is impossible to disclose the nature of the reports received and the information prepared for the Chiefs of Staff. '' I can only give the assurance that they are immense and indispensable aids to that right planning which continues day by day in connection with these questions." Sir Thomas made it clear that coast defences are being looked after; that youth is being given a big place in the entire national plans for safety; and that the vital problem of food is being dealth with — but secretly, as it is not in the nation's interests to reveal such X^lans.

Answering the question: Why are we building Government factories? Sir Thomas said: "Everybody remembers that during the last war factories were designed even up to the last day of the war. '' There is no time in modern war, especially when the weight of attack will be felt in the first few weeks, to make preparations which will take you 12 or 18 months to complete." Winding up the debate, the Premier. Mr Baldwin, said he had alwaj's tried to make the people of this country proud of their system, and to realise that it was not a system that could be preserved without sacrifice. "Now is the time for sacrifice," he declared. He believed the system could be preserved—by what the Government was doing now. It was a sacrifice worth making. This was a good time to be alive for those who believed in the principles of democracy and were prepared to make sacrifice for it, because they had the opportunity make that sacrifice.

The best we could do was to make our country so strong that no one who held opposite views on these matters should ever think it worth while to make any wanton aggression on this country.