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ey LINK ENIALS OVE CAIRO LETTER “OREIGN OFFICE STATEMENT EFERENCES TO MACLEAN ty A Diplomatic Correspondent The Foreign Office issued jiement yesterday on th <fpovery of a letter in Cairt vaked dupe, 1951, relating ‘spald “Maclean, the former tiplomat, The statement was “rected to correcting conclu- ons drawn by an American vwspaper that while in Egypt daclean was receiving secret formation from Communists a America. Existence of the letter was first vealed in THE Damy Truecrarit u Monday. ‘The Foreign Office vatement, which does nothing to rity the significance of the let- », or the peculiar circumstances \ which it was found, said: ‘nas been reported in the Press of ue United States that a letter was sound in the British Embassy library in Cairo addressed lo Mr. Ponaid Maciean writen in May, 950, containing coded message. J is stated Unal one sentence he letter read: ifivid is - very cautious _abor cmald's replacement and doesn] snow what he is like.” foyeile Wen | | ADDRESS IN U.S. “A Third Person” It}is stated that the Jetter strongly Indicates that in 1950 Maclean wps eceiving secret United States dodu- ments from a contact in_ the American Embassy in the Egyp- tian capital, No ietler addressed to Donald Maclean ‘has been found, A letter was found dated 7th June, 1951, written from an address in the United States to @ third person, clearly nol Maclean, ‘The sentence in question read: “Donnid is playing very cautiously about the Danid’s ‘replacement chap and has not decided what he af keke,” Th Iciter also mentioned Donal faciean's recent disappearanfe afhich at the time of writing (7 shine, 1951) had just been mage public, Aa Wa Po CAIRO LETTER (Continued from P. 1,-Col. 8) ‘Tipre is nothing in the ietier fo wslify the inference that Macieqn as receiving secret Uniled Stat documents from a contact in the American Embassy in Cairo, or that iis duthor was engaged in espionage. FELL OUT OF BOOK Library Incident But further details about the mysterious Cairo letter, which T am able to add, suggest that it may welt have been a form of code between Communist agents. both of whom must have known Donald Macican, The Ieiter fell out of a copy of Lord Cromer’s “Abbas iL” when it was being opened for reference in November, 1958. Found by a girl mand a member of the an colony in Cairo, it was read by them on the spot. ‘The letter was signed Bill, It was not clear to whom ft was addressed, bul the last person to have signed for the book “ Abbas IT” shown im the Library Jist as “Angelini ” giving as nis address the Swiss Legation in Cairo. Inquiries Tailed to trace anyone of that name at the Swiss Legation. ‘The leticr consisted of sentences wilh apparently no councction with caf other. Atlowing for the fabt thd it has been safely in the hanfis of BLL6 since it was first found, Ube follbwing may be said to be an acclivate version of some of the a “As I am writing the neny of Donald's disappearance is coding lover the air... . Ie must be Aven ke longer breakdown period) in future, Ten days 1s a bng ime to howl... . Donald ts tery vantions about the David's replace~ ment chap and hasi't decided what he is tike.... Am sending over for those who understand , Runyonese a lot about gus and dous. ... Ever hear about. a British “Consular man called Tyrrell... 1 bought two shirts and some towels off Nim in @ Cin- ciinati store.” Boih Brilish and’ American Intel- ligeace officers in Cairo examined the letter, At the time it was noticed that the British actitude to it was off-hand. The Americaus were inclined to take it very seriousiy indeed. Secret Service agents at one examined ali books in the. library shelves for other letters of the same kind. It was thoughi Uiat the tibrar: might be used by Communisis as a means of posibox communication, The letter had been written from an address in Louisville, Kentugky Prcsumably Une American Fedbrai Bureau of investigation followed ene clifes that it gave io tind out pho Uif friend of Maclean was, and wpat oft he occupied in the United sidtes alfthe Gime of writing, RITISH ATTITUDE | Letter of “No Interest” | News of the Cairo letter leaked out | in November, 1955, and £2.000 was | offered by a Briush newspaper ‘tor reproduction riehts. Although the British Intellwence service stated Uhen thal it wes of no inlerest, per- | mission to reproduce it was refused, / The quotations that T have made.“ are the fullest version yet to be made | - public. The Personnel Department ef thed.? Foreign Office are meanwhile pursu- ing other inquiries about a British oft of Counselor's rank, who is known to have been at Cambridge r -77 with Denald Maclean and to have been a close personal feiead of His in the Foreign Service. iy appears that. the Foreign Ome isf far from certain that tt gol the spole truth about the Soviet netwepk inf Whiehall_ before publishing Upe 1955 White Paper,