Arms to Africa affair

[Brown, R Ken]

> Keith Lockstone  wrote: 
> 
>> I wonder if the problem associated with releasing certain telegrams
is
>> really a  crypto problem?  If they were ciphered before transmission,

>> releasing a precise  plaintext is not a good idea.

And I wrote:

> Didn't they use to have comms  people in embassies who
>  paraphrased messages so that the diplomats didn't see 
> the exact words and couldn't accidentally (or  on purpose)  leak them?

And now BBC R4 Today program tells us that the committee *will* be shown
a summary of the telegrams. And that they will get to talk to Robin Cook
(i.e. not anyone who ever saw the orginals and can let out the exact
wording). And then, in order to verify that the summary is accurate a
sub-set of the committee will be allowed to visit FCO and see the
original text, behind locked doors,  *after* everyone has seen the
summary. And presumably won't be allowed to write it down...

It's fun being paranoid!