I have 2 reasons for feeling some sympathy for whoever left the secret documents on the train
The first is that I am chronically absent minded & have left many things on trains
The second is that I was once, many, many years ago, responsible for a SERIOUS BREACH OF SECURITY myself
If I told you what the SECRET was, you would laugh
My punishment, under a ‘warrant’ signed by Sir Humphrey himself, was that for 28 working days I could not go home at night without signing a special register, in front of a witness, to say that I had checked that all my cupboards were properly locked. Failure to do this would itself be a further BREACH OF SECURITY & disciplinary proceedings would follow
At the time there was a bit of a panic about leaks. The Secretary of State joked that he thought The Guardian must be being printed in our basement
I have thought carefully about whether to go in to details. But old habits die hard, discretion is the better part …
In other words I am a coward
There is probably a statute of limitations on offences under the Official Secrets Act. But strictly interpreted (as it then was) it would not just be me who was committing an offence
You would be guilty too, just for reading it. I have only your best interests at heart
In the world of security, paranoia rules
