UNION FACES REBUFF OVER POLYGRAPH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96B01172R000300020022-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 28, 2005
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: March 28, 1984
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved Foriie- 99448~t V 2R9?R98801172R000300020022-4
~y Petfir Hesneag'& . '.. i'
aQernooa at4Jie. lust sneetiol
for five, years of tdp Civil
'Service National Whitley Coun- J
ail
~ Ai S
i ,Robertrnstron{{.,;ec-
petiry of th t'6binee Siho.wilt''
chair the meetidg,_may rule At.
outyas a:topic tor,.diseuPion on
d that the civil
d
n
the gro
Service unions, lost their rep-
resentettvoiright3 at the signals
and electronic intelllgedce-cen-
trc on March 1.
If he does; the, Council.-Of
Civil Service Unions team; led
by Mr William ?McCall;'of'the
Institution of Professionfii Civil
Servants, will say that, about
160, employees'at GCHQ' have
declined to relinquish their
union membership"dctpite the
Government's, ban."
a
that
i-Union lea rs, ? ~
'W
$0 ;of them . could be liable for,a
lie detector test ill the, next, l
montt',,?,All stiff a,G~t{Q'are,
Seited end' the oroceaa . o
rcncfwed etc. five Yu~,r,~' d r
From Apr!`.,{. the. polygraph
wile, be, used on. those. stall', at
Cheitenj am undergoing.. the
p nial;, review o their.
y dGranc6r it'is tpnbf a;_
pilot project designed?to,stilfeq.
writ nyl`f dffeitcgs agginq tip.
The'expectationin Whttehill
is shat ?uecorityy?althdtl iea'It'
Chetthoham w, it refully avoid"
using the'polygraph on any'bf.
the :160 recussstta,at least in the J
gear.Atture.. Conciliation is one
of ?the priorities of Mr Peter'
MaryehurrIN ? director tiof
QCHQ ,?. ,.. ' j
Oftthe^I60'union members'
rlmlinbi{'at GCHQ; about I10
ere based at Cheltenhalts Ana'
aboul!40 inlts'outstations.'The
uniottb dowel in: "'
Sod of Civil"gild' Public`
Servadtal , g0', Civil , Service'
tjniosr30r^Institutioa of Pro-'
.(esaional?Civil ,.Servants 30;
Association ..,of.. Government
Supcrvison,;anp Radio.Offcers
30: Civil aad Public Services
Association t; and', drat
Division AsSOeiatiori
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 Approved F
B'y Ian=Black
'A '1Labour `M P is ,sleeking
urgent' assurances' from-" the
Attorney-General that ~ an M15
officer' facing charges'. 'under
the Official Secrets Act will re-
ceive a'fair.trial.
'Mr Stuart. Bell, MP,'fof.-Mid-
dlesbrough and vice-chairman
of his party's home affairs
conunittee, is writing' to Sir
Michael ,Havers to express his
.concern that jury vetting, for
the trial may be being done on
a political basis:
Mr Bell also wants -the.MI5
man to -have the normal-
,free-dom to present his defence
case in.full.
'Michael B riey, -'aged 33
,
who on ApriI4~40? faces six
charges' unde.'fe'Official Sec-
rets Act, including three of
spying contrary'to Section 1.
He is -the firsttriember of MI5
ever to appear.=in court.
A ...pre-trial-t review, in
camera, has alreadyttaken plae
before the Lord.-,Chief Justice,
Lord Lane. Directionswere
given to prosecuting and, de-
fence counseliahe _ manner -in
which the trial will be con-
ducted."
It was decided that it would
be in a camera, apart from a
small part of the opening pro-
secution speech by Sir Michael
and the verdict ; that certain
conditions would 'apply -to,the
presentation ofevidence.for re-
asons of national. security and
thatthe jury.would be vetted
Mr B611 --said last night- in- a
statement ?" Even though A he
entire trial `as-- I understand it
is to be held in camera, I want
to be sure that Bettaney shall
be : able to -bring - before the
court those documents . that
will assist him in his defence ;
that his; defence counsel shall
be able fully to examine prose-
cution witnesses and that
witnesses that Bettaney may
wish to call shall be allowed to
give evidence.
It is essential that all the
rules of evidence be adhered
meetin , 11 iYlthe Attorney
Generals ensure that .Bet'
taney is-, et a fair. trial and
that no, %tons,.h ;ve been
impose at;ah avoul ,,prevent
this from*~E penasg
Use o ~t$e 1ury getting sys-
tem has, ousedtcontroversy?in
the past tlti> legal; authorities
have arg tedthat,-it'i;specially
necessary' in, ca4es 'involving
matters 'ch -as"'national secur-
ity. ,
The v g process+is under-
stood tov`olve in-depth inves-
tigation ;b Sb th M15 and the
Special ch of the, political
affiliationbf potential juroros.
Approved For Release 2005/08/03 : CIA-RDP96B01172R000300020022-4
 Approved For Release 5/08/03 : CIAP0170204
S.se
untair
by Bartle Pe ation.,'?I!iese`,che"`1c c'{~r';'p'?- .
ttroee and I
t
d b
manf fed
d
E:27--il-;
concern in legal circles about cross-examination of security
the secrecy surrounding the service witnesses will be "cur.
trial. tailed". He adds: "Even in the
Earlier this month The framework of a totally secret
Sunday Times revealed that trial these are areas vital to my
prospective jurors were being defence."
secretly vetted by the special In view of these procedural
branch and MI5. This move issues Bettancy even wonders
followed a ruling in February by whether he should refuse to take
Loane, the su e. that the in lu.d .i iAl pan in the proceedings. He
u
w cn the trial begins on April
10 at the Old Bailey.
"There's absolutely no doubt
as to Bettaney's sincerity, I
intend to raise all the points he
makes in his letter with the
attorney-general." says. Bell.
Bell's action today reflects the
e qucn
c
vdi
y on h ?crt-ef
Simon Freeman enquiries by the-'spediat bralich'
amongst a pcnon'a .Colleague
MICHAEL BETTANEY, the workmates, neighburs:; .tend
MI5 officer accused of spying friends dossier a at 'of erson'?'
for the Russians, has written an peg. a dossier on the upenons'
extraordinary letter from his Dolnical end social ettitudes,_his
cell to Brixton prison claiming so fonhg to the community'and
that he will not be given a fair
trial. The letter, written on this area
'rtipn or,
March 9, was sent to Stuart Bell, woman's (political!-ninvole,.
Labour MP for Middlesbrough went , , . might be s'd in thve
and vice-chairman of the eyes of the'?,:atithor,tie3,u aar
party's home attain committee, sufficient ebar.lun7, offer.
Be" is so concerned by from jury. service to my.-irtal: t
Bettancy's allegations that he .tb
has decided to release the full a ed limittan ns. on's,tp' gy.
alt of the letter rods to that c rt wil,tionsthe(way-
Britain's national news a eIcy, that coup wi "Ceit'doc rucial
6 doevidence.' Certain crucial
the Pre ss Association. Bell says documentary exhibits." he
he has also sent a copy to the claims, "will not be produced ery at
attorney -general, Sir Mic
i hael for ital. our be madone availabl it,
e
Havers. "It i a v of
letter', Y. Bell. "Itarticulat raises e or defence. the preparat i
issues which should be taken
UP ?? -'Instead," he claims, ? "a
selection of expurgated exhibits
Be"; ho is a barrister, says produced by the director of
he has thought carefully about public prosecutions... will be
the legality of releasing a letter czhibitcd."
from a man Makin trial "If
any fault were made the en.tire Bettaney claims, too, Chet his
establishment would come lawyers may not be allowed to
down like a on of bricks", he call meet experts and who could eCoin'
says. Bell now wants reassur. on where necessary
antes from Havers that Be~ta- refute" the evidence ofi:'He
ney is mistaken in claiming he security service witnesses.' He
will not be given a reasonable also claims that his lawyers'
con
ucted nr camera. apart ??1
from a brief opening statement am at present
under the the'ORicial..Seeress ` neuany ;~vaal'~'rya j'~cp
}?Iemberid'fh ten l diately_I
includTS : three of;spying- opn~
racy section one'of theist;%Fa onhtTh rctfSGeei s imagin-
which relates'toleaking mat, R t a stream
trial which could. enda of background`'tdorieuOn
national secu n
rity. . He was..d' ."bed' ai uie~f,
First, Bettaney quest ions' the!-pipeamok and
way that the jury is, being b
yelled in lree'ty,M urn In i
.
"The panel of nos were ask !e owl
t
P pectiv5 hard they; ea n to'
jurors ehgrblaro hear my eau is him Belts
to be subjected to vetting he !ay Jgae. ',rkAtl, r d.
fill heree h cs n st den f the
allleges. This process, . rd.
which I am whey he wt9 i a htetf rt the
familiar, involve k dGiarly 7.Qs. said he card
to establish whetheea uror is a liable, diligent a I
member of or-sympathiser with. working student -He IUrd He wlch l
972
eg with a'gtsodish
any subversive party or organis- second Oxford in 1 d
cond class degree.
r
people from Icarrki .tile
Bettancy, aged 33, is the frs4 amao Ln-which m Las to
MI5 err,-..."..... Q.,.
by the prosecutioneand the cwhcthr, as a maucr prin
delivery of the verdict:'' tPle, it is nitht for me to take
Bell wants Havers to state any pan'
that, despite the need to protect Bettancy also strongly objects
national security, the coun`wil[r to the high level of secrecy
.till respect the (undamentalyrsurrouadtng the actual trial.
and tn,dtt,onal principles o(?}', "I believe "that the situdtloti
lustier. He is anxious to clarify whjch I have outlined 'ppbore'
that Bettaney's defence will be call only add'to'ethe'Sgeh me
able to bt ing?vilal documents to concern whielki-?ou', itadp'no
a
11t A fp~gapyere wdl doubt.~qthen memrv4...f e
...be able fully to eroase`tlXamine- PCP Yarliamcmary' SLebou'r.
prosecution witnesses and that Party feet about eft.
Bettaney will be able to call Naturally the decisioio~jgd'
witnesses he feels arc vital to hie c"-n the rc-trial . hefr'n4
case behind closed doors was taken'
nit these points are based on- with a view to
'I. p ebting
it made by Bettaney in his. Parliament and l
1ish
ha ndwriucn fette
Approved For Release 2005/08/03 : CIA-RDP96B01172R000300020022-4