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Cambridge Five Spy Ring — Part 9

51 pages · May 23, 2026 · Broad topic: Intelligence Operations · Topic: Cambridge Five Spy Ring · 51 pages OCR'd
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DAILY HERALDS} Soot, 26 1855 | disappeat concerti the “ former Foreign Office sepenne 15 CONTINUED FRO, PAGE TWO then Minister of State, Hector McNeil, and in the Far Eastern Department of the Foreign Office. In August, 1950, he was trans« ferred to Washingion as @ Second Secretary. Early In 1950 the sceurity ithorities.-Informsd the For- ign Ore that in tate 1949 while on holiday abroad Burgess Sha deen guilty of indiscreet tdik about secret matiers of which he had afficial knowledge. For this he was scverely repel manded, Apa this roo. his see the ame Washing in Watangion. however. work anid pehaviour gave rise ‘6 complaint "The Air gassadar y veported that Ais work had been unsatisfac~ tory in nat he lncked thoraum mess and balance {% roufine matters, He hard ~onic to the unfavoure adie noti¢ of the Departement of state greouse of his reckless He had ud tote reprimands: Jor carels~sscas $n leaving co: » fdental paners Fuotteaded. He was reeat@t to London i. early Ma, 19hI;fand was asked sign from’ the Forcign ASidsvation was being givgn to Phe steps that would be tak: an Ye event of his refusing do sp. I. was at this point tha je disappeared. ance of two Officials Acts. Investigations into Burgess‘ past have since shown that he, like Maclean, went through a period of Communist leanings while at Cambridge and that he, too. on leaving the university, outwardly renounced his views, Mts now clear that they were in communication with each other afier the return af Bur- ess from Washington {1951 wad they may have been in el communication — earlier. Sr rebstions were, however, amb a ba es etme cae o . report ar ‘anted to Littler rr than a hin, and it was at time impossiMe to attribute the Irak to an}! particular ume dividual. : Highly secret suk widespread and ‘preiracted enquiry: bogus by We security at.2 and the Reld of Ruspicion nad been narrowed by mid-April, 1953, 16 two oF tree persons. By the beginning of May, Maclean had cume to be ree gxogited ar the principal suspagt, ere was, however, even thd time, no legaliy adminefie evence to support a prose the under the Offictal .Secr become aware, Arrangements were made to sure that information of fex- pional secrecy and imppri- ce should not come into nds. . In the meantime the secufity authorities arranged to investi- gate his activities and contacts to obtain information which could be used a5 evidence in a prosecution. On May 25 the then Secretary of Stale, Mr. Merberi Martie, sanetiuned a proposal that the seeucity authorities should question Maclean. men quizzed In reaching this decision. it had to be borne in mind that Sqch questioning might prodéce 4 contessian or youitgry Ma Melt 3 gent fy, to sup bbe might onty serve to alerah In that event, he would have zen free to make arrange: ints tu Seave the country ang the auiherities would have hdd no Jegal power to stop him, | Everything therefore deprnded- on Wie interview, ands the authorities were ar xious as fully prepared a Ras hurts ay possible, $ A were also anxious that Mactein's house at Tt fed < was an 7deivlona aying the nrapos 24 wicr- til midsFune, when Ms. an, who was then prpg- Wapl. was expected io be awap. ig now clear that in spgte of fhe precautions taken by the authorities Maclean must have some time bey 2 372
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