The huge furore surrounding the government's dossier on Weapons of Massestruction in the run-up to the Iraq War, and the dubious process by whichhe name of Dr David Kelly was released into the public domain are, showshis trenchant and alarming book, only the most recent examples of ahitehall practice that goes back as far as World War II. When caught out in lie or a deception, runs the policy, keep lying and dissembling, and takell possible steps to cover the whole thing up. Earlier instances include:he sinking of the General Belgrano during the Falklands War; The loss of theoyal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Glorious in the last war; The mysterioushinook helicopter crash in Scotland; The ejection of the native inhabitantsrom Diego Garcia in order to hand it over to the US military; Not only isuch endemic covering-up by an apparently unaccountable Whitehall machineimply undemocratic, argues Slessor: it is the cause of scandalous injusticehich ruins reputations and blights lives.