◆ SpookStack

* O-19 (7-8-55) Santi NGT-SO STRANGE ‘TIE revelation that Donald MacLean and Guy Burgess. were active spies for” Soviet Ru a during most of their careers in the British Foreign Office comes hardly as a Surprise, Indeed, it had been widely assumed ever since their disappeavance in 1951 that these two personally disreputable charac- ters had been deing just that. Neither had made any secret of his pro-communist, or extremely Jeft-wing views, The grating facts are that— @ the Britisi government let both of these men stay on the job while they were still under suspicion, even passively de- fended them after they defected, ®Both had aecess to secret whi Britain. The Labor government under Prime Minister AtUce wag in power at the time ihe two diplomats disappeared. Herbert Morrison was head of the Foreign Office. Hoth were pressed repeatedly in Commens for some explanation or official theory as to the strange disappearance of MacLean and Nuree Tho hoth must have known something of the civeumstances, all replies were evasive, Prime Minister Attlee insisted it “would not be in the publie interest” to make a full vepart of the case. And Mr, Morrison urged interrogators to withhold judgment al] the facts are known.” It was pointed out that Mr. Burgess entered the Foreign Office at a time when tussia was an avowed ally. Lad there been any subsequent check on the man, Mr. Morrison was asked, now that Russia had hecome a cold-war enemy? The For- eign Secretary replied he was aware of no such check and, bridiing at the query, he went on to that “test of suitabitly” for the Foreign Office in his mind did not. depend on “whom we are in alliance with trssiib whom we are at war.” ——— Neither was there any “evidence,” the material the United States shared with CR, Moe None DE a Mr. Tolson —--——_ Mr. Boardman Mr. Nichols —_--__ * Mr. Belmont Mr. Harbo Mr. Mohr Mr, Parsons Mr. Rosen Mr. Tamm ——_____ Mr. Sizoo —____.. . Winterrowd Tele. Room Mr. Holloman Miss Gandy Wash, Post and Times Herald Wash. News Wash, Star —____ N. Y. Herald —__—. Tribune N.Y. Mirror ———__ Daily Worker The Worker New Leader GT RECORDED 126 OCT 12 955 me wo Date SEP 20 1955 _ (2)