◆ SpookStack

0-19 (7-8-55) Pe ‘ov, Who broke awvay from the Soviet Embassy in Canberra and provided the West with a broad and de-~ tailed picture of Russian espionage ac- tities, has been the means of producing a flood of Jight on the shadowy figures in the intriguing mysteyy of the “Missing Diplomats.” When Guy Burgess and Don- ald Maclean disappeared from England in 1951, they provided a sensation of first magnitude. Employed by the British Foreign Office, in which Maclean had- reached high place, they unquestionably had access to materia) of great value to the Reds, Moreover, although they had many characteristics of “security risks” | —early Commninist associations, jnstabil- ty, heavy drinking--the public was not informed of any recent contacts with Communists or grounds for suspecting their loyally, Then, when Mrs, Maclean, American-born, vanished more than wo years later with hey three children, the mystery was deepened by tragedy. “Phe British authorities did little to clear up the public confusion, Perhaps they feared criticism from the United States, similar to that which accompa- nied the revelation of Klaus Fuchs’ treachery; perhaps they did not wish to dry up sources of iiformation by prema- ture statements. In any case, they sat on what information they had until it wus pried loose by the Petrov statements, Petrov asserted, and the Foreign Office acknowledges, that both Burgess and Maclean were Russian agenis—since their Cambridge days, according to the - ex-Soviet diplomat, They asked for’ asy~ jum behind tye Tron Curtain, Petrov says; Me Brith admit now-trar Mac Light ou the “Missing Diplomats” a jean's loyalty was being investigated at the time “of the disappearance, and. tt was known that Burgess’ fitness to re- main in the Foreign Office was in ques- tion, Petrov confirms earlier suspicions— which were reaily moral certainties—ithat the vanishing of Mrs. Maclean from Switzerland was engineered ‘by the Soviet | secret police. ‘The Burgess-Maclean ease will remain a classic illustration and warning of the skill of the Soviet espionage service. It has its paraliels in the United States, almost as dramatic, if less well docu~ mented than the story of the missing diplomats promises to be. When the Brit~ ish White Paper on Burgess and Maciean Is issued it should help round out a tale of the conscienceless subversion of twof! brilliant men, the tragedy of @ family! and the threat which such methods pose for free peoples everywhere, Ey LENE EF Mr, Belmont <2pe" Mr. Harbo Mr. Tolson So Za Mr. Boardman. Mr, Nicho!s’_7> Mr. Mohr Mr. Parsons Mr, Rosen Mr. Tamm Mr. Sizoo Mr. Winterrowd Tele. Room Mr. Holloman Miss Gandy BRANIGAR Wash. Post and Times Herald Wash. News Wash. Star N. Y. Herald Tribune N.Y. Mirror Daily Worker The Worker New Leader DateSEP 2.0 i955 oe SO CB Be Dora lef les oe (3