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i en 2 oe Today i in , World Affairs _ re pt Burgess, Maclean Interview. Viewed as a Soviet Blunder By DAVID LAWRENCE WASHINGTON, Feb, 13--The real stery of what is back of the public appearance in Moscow of Messrs, Maclean and Burgess, the British diplomats who turned traitor, has yet to vume. Bringing them out after a concealment of nearly five years is not explained by rationalizing that all the Communists want to do at this time is to drive a wedge between America and Britain. The episode may turn out in the end to have been a big blunder by the Soviets. For, instead of producing a rift in Anglo- American relations, it will assure the op- posite—namely, the strengthening of the security measures which both London and Washington will take hereafter against those engaged in spying or im infiltrating soverhment offices. It will also increase dis- trust of Khrushchev and the other members of the Kremlin who have denied repeatedly! that Maclean and Burgess were in Moscow. Sir Anthony Eden, the British Prime Min- ister, lost no time in emphasizing this very point to the House of Commons. What probably brought about the sud- den appearance last Saturday of the two diplomats was the publication of a well-documented book by the editors of the “London Daily Express.” Copies had undoubt vdly Just reached Moscow. The weaknesses in the British se curity system are fully exposed in that book—to which, by a “dd coincidence, “U. S. News & World Report” bad obtaine srom the “London Daily Ex-! press” exclusive rights for pub- dication in its current issue and ior release to the press of the United States .this.very week. Talking on the telephone iaday with Lord Beaverbrook, publisher of “The London Daily Express,” this correspondent was told that, if Maclean and Bur- eeas thought they were doing anything that could strain rela- tigns between Britain and the ‘aited States, they were very much mistaken, because the incident would pring the two fuuntries closer together in a common front against any such contingencies in the future. He sald: “It warns us of what’s up. We get a good warning of what we have to avoid—a warning to as be ‘e—bewalrtr ——~" Lawrence ——_s Beaverbrook Critieal _, * “—“The Eeaverbrook newspapers. from the start have pressed for) eloser surveillance and criticized the Britich security service for not maintaining a watch on Mrs. Maclean before she, too, disap- peared behind the Iron Curtain. Weak spots in the recent British “white paper’ are also pointed up with the criticism that Mac-|- Jean and Burgess could have!! been stopped from leaving Eng-| Jand if the authorities had been on their toes. There were plenty of red-tape obstacles of a legal nature that could have been placed in the way of their escape. The extent of the damage done by Messrs, Maciean and Burgess cannot as yet be assessed. Their benavior did cause American authorities to be squeamish for a while about letting confiden- tial information about atomic energy go to Great Britain, though it is believed this prob- Jem has since been solved satis- factorily. Perhaps the biggest injury to‘ America, however, came during’ the Korean war. Maclean took | charge of the American desk in! the British Foreign Office on Nov. 5, 1950. He was in a posi- tion to read all confidential messages and to know the Brit- ish reaction thereto. The vanguard of the Red, Chinese armies had already: come into Korea from Man-i churia ® few days before, and: Gen, MacArthur requested aur} thority to bomb the bases in Manchurig_sa.ss to isolate any Chinese troops already in Korea and prevent other divisions from} coming in. The United States Joints of Siaff formally requested the permission, on behalf of Gen. MacArthur, about Nov. 13, 1950, in @ message Which was relayed to twelve allied governments. The request was rejected in the next few days, and the Red Chinese naturally stepped up their offensive on Nov. 25. Here is what General MacArthur onty' last week was saying in a state-' ment apropos of his controversy on this point with former Pres- itemrfeumaen: Tolson pak : __. te 0 Belmour? ue Mason Mohr Parsons Poona NUSCi Tamm Nease Winterrowd _ * Tele. Room a Holloman Gandy Wash. Post and —__ Times Herald Wash. News Wash, Star —_____ N. Y. Herald —__ Tribune N. Y. Mirror _ N.Y. Daily News —__ Daily Worker The Worker New Leader Date B14 tore