A patriot abroad
Sir: In John Grigg's review of Professor Simpson (Books, 14 August) he hardly mentions that careful research enabled Professor Simpson to discover the role played by MI5 in the application of Regula- tion 18B IA, the order under which so many patriotic men and women were imprisoned without charge or trial in 1940. Panic there undoubtedly was, but it was not just panic which led to this unprecedented act on the part of the Government. MI5 pretended a dangerous fifth column, secret- ly organised, was ready to help the enemy in the event of a German invasion. Pressed for evidence, MI5 proved incapable of pro- ducing any, for the simple reason that the whole thing was fabricated. Yet we were not released.
Mosley openly campaigned for negotiat- ed peace during the phoney war, but said if there were an invasion attempt he and his followers would fight to the last man to throw the enemy from our shores (see Action, 9 May 1940).
I say unprecedented, because English politicians had several times opposed wars in the past: Fox the Napoleonic wars, Lloyd George the Boer war, Ramsay MacDonald World War I. None was imprisoned. They were exercising free speech.
I have never said 18B could compare for horror with the Gulag Archipelago. Never- theless it was in the highest degree odious, and is a blot on British justice.
Diana Mosley
Temple de la Gloirc. 91400 Orsay, France
'The time has come to sit down and be counted.'
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