THE TELEGRAPH: Gordon Brown today issues a posthumous apology to a Second World War code breaker who killed himself after being tried and convicted of being homosexual.
The Prime Minister said Alan Turing was treated “terribly". Mr Brown was responding to a campaign to get a formal apology from the Government. Thousands of people have signed a Downing Street petition.
However a formal apology is not possible as Mr Turing has no known surviving family. Instead Mr Brown offered a personal apology.
In an article for the Daily Telegraph, he said: “Alan Turing was a quite brilliant mathematician, most famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes. It is no exaggeration to say that, without his outstanding contribution, the history of the Second World War could well have been very different. He truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war. >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Friday, September 11, 2009
TIMES ONLINE: Gordon Brown has issued a formal government apology to Alan Turing, the Second World War code-breaker who committed suicide after being found guilty of gross indecency with another man.
The Prime Minister last night said that Turing, who took his own life in 1954, had been treated “inhumanely”.
He also paid tribute to Turing's work cracking the German Enigma codes at Bletchley Park, which historians believe hastened the end of the war in Europe by as much as two years.
Writing on the Downing Street website after around 30,00 signed a petition calling for an apology, Mr Brown said that 2009 had been a year for “deep reflection” and a chance for Britain “to commemorate the profound debts we owe to those who came before”.
He went on: “I am both pleased and proud that, thanks to a coalition of computer scientists, historians and LGBT activists, we have this year a chance to mark and celebrate another contribution to Britain’s fight against the darkness of dictatorship; that of code-breaker Alan Turing.”
The petition was the idea of John Graham-Cumming, a computer scientist, and pays tribute to Turing as "the greatest computer scientist ever born in Britain". Among those throwing their weight behind the campaign was the gay actor and TV star Stephen Fry, who urged his 750,000 followers on Twitter to sign up to the petition.
Describing Mr Turing as a “quite brilliant mathematician”, the Prime Minister said: “It is no exaggeration to say that, without his outstanding contribution, the history of World War Two could well have been very different. He truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war.
“The debt of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he was treated so inhumanely. In 1952, he was convicted of ’gross indecency’ — in effect, tried for being gay. His sentence — and he was faced with the miserable choice of this or prison — was chemical castration by a series of injections of female hormones. He took his own life just two years later.
“Thousands of people have come together to demand justice for Alan Turing and recognition of the appalling way he was treated. While Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can’t put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him.” >>> Philippe Naughton | Friday, September 11, 2009
THE INDEPENDENT: Gordon Brown issued an apology to a Second World War code-breaker who committed suicide after being found guilty of gross indecency with another man.
The Prime Minister last night said Alan Turing, who took his own life in 1954, had been treated "inhumanely" and paid tribute to his work cracking the German Enigma codes.
Writing on the Downing Street website after thousands signed a petition calling for an apology, Mr Brown said 2009 had been a year for "deep reflection" and a chance for Britain "to commemorate the profound debts we owe to those who came before" because of the 65th anniversary of the Normandy landings and the 70th anniversary of the UK's commitment to fight fascism. >>> Craig Woodhouse, Press Association | Friday, September 11, 2009
NUMBER 10:
Treatment of Alan Turing was “appalling” – PM >>> | Thursday, September 10, 2009
Related:
The Turing Enigma: Campaigners Demand Pardon for Mathematics Genius >>> Jonathan Brown, The Independent | Tuesday, August 18, 2009
