◆ SpookStack

In view of the stispicions held agajnst Maclean and of the consprrevormal mannes2f_ bis | ‘fight, it was susumed, tows it could not be proved, that his destination and that of his com- panion must have been the So- Viet Union or some other terri- tory behind the Iron Curtain. Now Viadinir Petrov, the for- mer ‘Third Secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Canberra, Who sought political asylum on ‘Apvil 3, 1954, has provided con~ ntion of this, Petrov him- self was not directly concerned in the case and his information was oblained from conversa~ tion with one of his colleagues in the Soviet service in Aus- tealia, Recruited at College Petrov states that both Mac- Jean and Burgess were recruit: ed as spies for the Soviet Gov- ernment while students at th university, with the intention that they should carry out their | espionage tasks in the Foreign Office and that in 1951, by means unknown to him, one or other of the two mien became aware that their activities were under investigation. This was reported by them to the Soviet intelligence setvice, who then organized their escape and re- moval to the Soviet Union. ‘Petrov has the impression thet the escape route included Czechoslovakia and that it, in- yoived an airplane flight into that country. Upon their ai | rival in’ Russia, Maclean 3's Burgess lived ‘near Moscow. | "They were used as advisers to | | the Ministry of Foreign Aftaivs | and other Soviet agencies, | Petrov adds that one of the men (Maclean) has since been joined by bis wife. ‘Two points call for comment: first, how Maclean and Buzysess remained in the Foreign Serv- ice for so long and second, why they were able to get away. When these two men were given them appointments noth- bing was on record about «ither to show that be was unsuitable | fqn the Public Service, It is true that bein subrereem pele sonal behavior was unsatisfac- a wi trm bo