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eee ONSIDER the theory now bein advanced that she was a convince: CoMmunist of long standing. MIS WOULD MEAN that through the yeart she tricked her diplomatic arqueintances, her haShand’s diplomatic superiors, Sir Percy Billitoe, wha interviewed her om many occasions for MT5 and the by no means unsaphisticaled Journalists who came into contact with her. THIS WOULD MEAN that she knew all along the spying tesk her hu nd wes engaged on, and way even have been the instigator of it, When they both knew that the game was up, she arreed he would ave to bolt, She knew where he had gone and, with consummate acting bolstered by her fervent, political faith, ennvineed all who examined her that she was a lost, Ionel; Rnorant wile. The only reason she did not fy with him was, because she was eight months pregnant and faced a dangerous surgical delivery, A long time later she got Foreign Ofice approval fo live in Switzerland, the casiest international loophole for escape tn the east Yhen the time was ripe she calmly travelled to [Russia—not so much to rejoin her husband as}fo go to the land she believed to be the safiour of the future. ene “WwW HAT are the facts that suppogt this theory? Melinda Mactean, who was 8 last July, wis bom to comfortably-of American parents’ antl, after her mother's second marnage could expect, to maintain an even more expensive rate living. — She was educated partly in Europe, and came hack when she was 22 ta tive in Paris, ‘There, among artisis, rebels and expatriate Americans, she could have learned Communism, There, as the Germaus advanced on th} French capital after. he “phoney way.” she married Donald Maclean. te was 27. He had "béen & Communig: at Cambridge, but was already a whith . _ hope of the Britis diplomatic service, he was still a Con | munist, he had ak ready skilfully masked his opinions, After a fou | i ear spell in Washington ending in 1948, the Macleans moved to a | past at Cairo. | Mactean, psycholo- gically tor by qe vied allegianeck, cdpituiated mo r adily to drinki bquts. He even use] vidlence against hl wife. ut Melinda per~ sofalty convinced the Anjbassador in Caifo thd, Maclean. should be Fent home to 1p- + cover from his break , down. ; i While he was in Britain ang ) ‘Melinda still in Egypt, he tried | to end the marriage, bul | Melinda convinced him that | should continue. Saree HE did this, it is said, | because she still | } wanted to use her husband — for the espionage work he | was engaged on. She did not think that was treachery. Time and time again ‘she declaipd ajier Maclean's disappedr- ahee: “I will not admit that | ly husband is a traitor po Is country.” She convinced her eldest son Fergus. He was once heard proudly saying in Geneva: “My daddy is fighting for peace. ‘And the price of all was | £2,000 paid by Swiss banks five weeks after Maclean's dis~ appearance. Was Melinda Maclean a con- vineed, subtle and—as far as her children were concerned— ruthiess Communist? What other theory can fit the facts? | Consider the submission thas > was NOT so ciever—but jas | impsoluic and troubled as ghe suaded MI5, she was er husband's escape seemed solunexpected by her that the two quarrelled about ft Just a