The Defence Secretary's suggestion can only be described as both astonishing and deeply worrying. Either the Government genuinely wanted to investigate Wallace's allegations thoroughly, or they did not. In the absence of information to the contrary, it would appear that David Calcutt was being deliberately used as a totally innocent 'fall guy' to get the Government off a very sharp hook. It is not unreasonable to assume, therefore, that had Tom King's memo to Mrs Thatcher been shown to MPs at that time, there would have been a justifiable outcry in the House.