negotiating with the Soviet delegation in the summer of 1924. He may have taken a somewhat condescending and di dainful attitud to the Labour government and to MacDonald,85 but the evidence in FO files of the way he carried out his duties and served his political masters uggests scrupulous observance of official procedures. Indeed, what is known about him personally bears out his own testimony that he was not interested in politics and had 'never voted in my life'. 86 He and Mrs Dyne enjoyed moving in cosmopolitan, adventurous and even clandestine circles, but the documentary vidence sugge ts that they were more interested in excitement for its own sake than in the ndgame some of their friends were pursuing; their gambling a tivities, bold but bumbling, bear out this portrayal. Gregory was certainly in a position to know a lot about the letter and its provenance, and to pass it on to others if h wished. But if political motivation is sought - and as we have s en, the cont nt and timing of the letter were very opportun for opponents of the Labour government - it can surely b found much more readily in figure like D smond Morton and Jos ph Ball, both senior members of Int llig nc ag n ie , both clos ly involv d with th fortun s of the Cons rvativ party, than it can in J.D. Gr gory, whos involv ment is clearly indicated but who may, in th nd, have b en no more than a rash and misguided man I d a tray for th loy of an xoti and xtravagant woman. The unanswered question
W
hay
n how th For ign Offi got hold of the Zinoviev letter; and th y had of its g nuinen s; that the Daily Mail (and n rvativ ntral me ) ould hay g t hold of a opy of th I tt r in advan through a variety of hannels; and that a numb r of senior figur s w r willing t t 11 th pre s about th letter's circulation to military ommand. h an wer to th final qu tion - who wrot the Zinovi v letter? - mu t n w b ught in th r sults of th xt nsive enquiri s into th ity f th I tt r whi h w r t in train by its publication with th r ply n 25 tob r; nquiri s pursu d on both ides of th r ign ffi p I p trum in Britain at an offi ial 1 v I by b th th British and Ru i n v rnm n , and by th ir r p tiv Int llig n s rvIces.
r g ry ' p rtr yal f M m moir (' h tru k u a kindly, but 1 n ly') em nu u nd rn f hi bittern at th mann r f hi leaving th F r ign IIi e - whi h i n l m nti n d ( n the Edge oj Diplomacy, p. 218).
85
di in
ury Bo rd
f
nquiry,
281 / 9 .
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