Access to Scotland Yard Files

[GUT]

G'day Scott

Yes, and who was the Macnaghten Memorandum written for?

There is a mention in one book that a copy was in the home office files. At the moment I cannot find the actual reference but to the best of my recollection the comment was made by another police official.

This supports to hypothesis that it was written for the Home Secretary in case questions were asked in Parliament about Cutbush.

[Monty]

Can you direct me to a source for this? I was not under the impression that there was any kind of heading for Jack the Ripper with entries under it. My impression was that the SB occasionally came across references to JTR in the course of its investigations into Fenians, etc... Tumblety being an example of this. Of course, the SB shared info with the MET etc, but investigating the Ripper was not in their department.




Same comment as above... If the SB was looking into Tumblety, and came across some stuff that implicated him in the Ripper crimes, they would have shared this info with the MET, obviously. But investigating the Ripper was not their job. Someone can correct me if I am wrong here.

RH

You aren't wrong Robert,

Monty

[John Malcolm]

Yes, and who was the Macnaghten Memorandum written for?

That's a question I've never heard a satisfactory answer for. And it brings up another question- would it not have been Macnaghten's boss who instigated the "memorandum"? It seems strange to me that Macnaghten would have taken it upon himself to address the Cutbush issue in an official capacity otherwise. Help.

[robhouse]

Hello Rob,

As there are written annotations beside the heading "Jack the Ripper" in the known snippets we have from the Special Branch Ledgers, which are catalogued both alphabetically and also by date, we cannot assume that Special Branch were NOT actively involved in the investigation at some level.

Can you direct me to a source for this? I was not under the impression that there was any kind of heading for Jack the Ripper with entries under it. My impression was that the SB occasionally came across references to JTR in the course of its investigations into Fenians, etc... Tumblety being an example of this. Of course, the SB shared info with the MET etc, but investigating the Ripper was not in their department.

I also draw your attention to the Littlechild letter, indicating that Special Branch were involved in the hunt for Tumblety, and the added point that there may have been, at some stage, a file on the man. If one is to consider Tumblety as a Jack the Ripper suspect, it isn't necessarily a given that the supposed file on Tumblety in the Special Branch files related to just any Fenian involvement or linkage on his part either.

Same comment as above... If the SB was looking into Tumblety, and came across some stuff that implicated him in the Ripper crimes, they would have shared this info with the MET, obviously. But investigating the Ripper was not their job. Someone can correct me if I am wrong here.

RH

[Scott Nelson]

Yes, and who was the Macnaghten Memorandum written for?

[Phil Carter]

And the Special Branch was not (to my knowledge) actively involved in the Ripper investigations.

Rob H

Hello Rob,

As there are written annotations beside the heading "Jack the Ripper" in the known snippets we have from the Special Branch Ledgers, which are catalogued both alphabetically and also by date, we cannot assume that Special Branch were NOT actively involved in the investigation at some level.

I also draw your attention to the Littlechild letter, indicating that Special Branch were involved in the hunt for Tumblety, and the added point that there may have been, at some stage, a file on the man. If one is to consider Tumblety as a Jack the Ripper suspect, it isn't necessarily a given that the supposed file on Tumblety in the Special Branch files related to just any Fenian involvement or linkage on his part either.


Phil

[Natasha]

I brought up this subject, because Trevor Marriot was looking to gain access to previously unseen paperwork (I'm not entirely sure what heading these files fall under) and was denied on the basis that informants descendents could be targeted etc.

The intrigue surrounding the identity of possible unnamed Ripper candidates within the files made me write this thread.

Does anyone believe Hutchinson was a real informant?

If not who else could it have been?

And if this was a made up entry in Abberlines memoirs etc, what was the purpose of diverting the subject?

What has been missed, what have we overlooked?

Also, I know its been mentioned else where, but what else can we find out about the letter sent to Yarmouth?

I should perhaps write this in another thread, but I am gonna ask here if nobody minds.

[robhouse]

And the Special Branch was not (to my knowledge) actively involved in the Ripper investigations.

Rob H

[Monty]

Metropolitan Police and Section D were, and are, two separate entities.

The Met file on the Whitechapel Murders has never been closed, no unsolved cases are, just that they were no open to the public until 75 years after the final entry (in 1896 if memory serves), this to protect the innocent and their families.

Special Branch differs as information in their files relate to national security.

Monty

[lynn cates]

yup

Hello Abberline. Thanks.

Quite.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

techno

Hello Natasha. Thanks.

Sounds like a techo question. So I'm a poor choice there.

And we all make mistakes--don't worry.

Cheers.
LC

[MrBarnett]

And a Nobody is the most likely candidate for JTR, mmm...

I sense a breakthrough in the case.

MrB.

[Natasha]

Hello Natasha. Is there any possibility that you conflate those files with the Special Branch files, which include informants?

Cheers.
LC

I see what you mean now

I am such an idiot

[jmenges]

There is something suspicious about the fact that there are no known pic's of Abberline. why?

Because nobody has found one yet...

JM

[Abberline43519]

Is there any possibility that you conflate those files with the Special Branch files, which include informants?

The Met files have been open since the '70s, it is only (I hope!) the Special Branch files that are not open and remain with the Met.