Macnaughten Memorandum

[aspallek]

The important thing is that Donald Swanson, writing in his own copy of Mc's memoirs, not for any anyone else's viewing, agreed with Mc and added his own views about the suspects. The 3 men were not pulled out of a hat. We don't know what his private info was. I doubt we ever will. But his views cannot be ignored or explained away.

The Swanson marginalia were written in his person copy of Robert Anderson's autobiography, not in Macnaghten's. (ed. -- Oops, I got interrupted and Dan beat me to that one!)

The Macnaghten memorandum was not addressed to anyone in particular. There is no copy of it in the Home Office records. I do not believe we are able to say for whom it was intended. As I have said, it may have been intended for posterity more than anything else.

[Dan Norder]

The important thing is that Donald Swanson, writing in his own copy of Mc's memoirs, not for any anyone else's viewing, agreed with Mc and added his own views about the suspects.

Swanson wrote in the margins of Anderson's memoirs, not the Macnaghten Memorandum.

I'd like to know where Bob gets his information from, that Macnaghten prepared his memo for the Home Secretary of the day?
That surely is base assumption and idle speculation.

Is this meant as a joke?

[Cap'n Jack]

I'd like to know where Bob gets his information from, that Macnaghten prepared his memo for the Home Secretary of the day?
That surely is base assumption and idle speculation.
One simple fact dictated the writing of the Macnaghten Memo, and that is not based on any one suspect being more 'crap' than another, but rather the salient issue that one of these 'crap' suspects just happened to have a close relation who sat in Macnaghten's office at Scotland Yard.

[dougie]

I think you have misunderstood the purpose of the MM. It was written as a briefing note for the home secretary to answer questions in the house about the Sun's claim to have identified JTR.

Macnaghten isn't saying JTR is one of these three men, what he is saying is that any one of these three is a better suspect than Cutbush. In other words all four of them are crap suspects but these three are the best of the litter.

why should it mean they were "crap suspects"? and of coursemacnaughton as near as damn it said druitt was the man. "my biggest regret" etc etc etc.....so in other words maybe none of them was the culprit, but crap suspects?
regards

[detective abberline]

McNaughten

Perhaps. But what about the Swanson Marginalia?

Cheers

[Bob Hinton]

Memo

I think you have misunderstood the purpose of the MM. It was written as a briefing note for the home secretary to answer questions in the house about the Sun's claim to have identified JTR.

Macnaghten isn't saying JTR is one of these three men, what he is saying is that any one of these three is a better suspect than Cutbush. In other words all four of them are crap suspects but these three are the best of the litter.

[detective abberline]

McNaughten Memo

The important thing is that Donald Swanson, writing in his own copy of Mc's memoirs, not for any anyone else's viewing, agreed with Mc and added his own views about the suspects. The 3 men were not pulled out of a hat. We don't know what his private info was. I doubt we ever will. But his views cannot be ignored or explained away.

Cheers

[dougie]

I dont know if anybody can say with certainty those 3 suspects were macnaughtons alone anyhow, they may have been the "confidential" police suspects as a whole and macnaughton was just giving his opinion on who was the best of the 3......and since the contents didnt become public till a great time after it could hardly have "shut up" cutbush and co.
regards

[aspallek]

The memorandum was not written to "shut up" the media. Since it was marked "confidential" and not released to the public or to the press, it could hardly have had that effect. It was written as a response to the Sun's suspicion of Cutbush, however. To whom it was written remains a mystery, however. It may have been written for posterity as much as anything else.

[Victor]

Why are the 3 people listed - Ostrog, Druit and Kosminski - the ones Macnaughten chose?

Ostrog wasn't in the country.
Druit - almost every detail about him is wrong, and the "private info"?
Kosminski - seems exaggerated "great hatred of women", "strong homicidal tendencies" and again lots of errors.

Why not any other contemporary suspect, such as Chapman(Kloslowski)?

It just seems that a lot of people use the MM, and yet it is so completely inaccurate. Was it written just to shut up the media - The Sun and Cutbush?