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_7____ By Don Cook + From the Herald Tribune Burcan © 1956, N.Y. Herald Tribune Ine. LONDON, Feb. 13.—The reap pearance in Moscpw of missing diplomats Doi Maclean and guy Burgess brovsht ‘the firss * reference in the British press to- day to yet another hitherto secret aspect of the case—the existence of a “Cairo letter” which suggests that in 1950 Maclean was receiving secret American’ documents from @ contact in the American Em- bassy in Caira, ‘On assignment in Cairo three months ago, this correspondent was told the story of the dis- covery of the “Cairo letter, which had only recently oc- curred, The story was given to me in confidence, and there was every reason to respect that con- fidence since the matter clearly was under intense security in- vestigation and the whereabouts of Burgess and Maclean was still a mystery, Now Can Be Told But with the public reference in the British press to the exist~ ence of the “Cairo letter,”. here is the full story: ... Early Jast November, a user jof the British Embassy library in Cairo was leafing through 2 ubrary book when syuddeniv_qut |dropped an envelope containing & letter addressed to Donald lean. Maclean had been. head of the political department of the British Embassy in Caira from 1948 until he was abruptty- sent home on the first available aircraft after wrecking the apartment of an American gitl in a drunken brawl in May, 1950, ‘The Ietter was dated that month, and clearly Maclean had - left Cairo without having time to “pick up his mail.” Signed by an American ‘The finder of the letter con- sulted a friend in the British Embassy, who formed the im+ Mediate view that it was a coded Message of some sort and tng letter was immediately turne over to MI-5, the intelligence branch of the embassy. Of th¢ steatest apparent significanct was the fact that the letter wal signed by an American, with indications that it may havé been an employee of the Amer ican Embassy immediately across the street in Cairo from ‘the British Embassy. ‘The jetter was a series of cryptic sentences with refert ences of a clearly conspiratorial sort that only the recipien{ wowd fully understand. Ond sentence ran: “David is verj cautious about Donald's replaces ment and doesn’t know what hi is like.” ‘The letter also carried a referd ence to shirts and towels. Even a superficial appraisal led to tin conclusion that Maclean had ay American contact and the twd were using the British Embassy ‘Contmmmed on page 4, column 3 ale Maclean (Continued from page one) library for their’ “communica- \tions drop"—2 favorite device of espionage. However, after Maclean left} Cairo, the British began work ‘on a New embassy chancery ouilding, which was completed last October, and much of| the embassy library had been in. stor: until transferred to] new quarters, where the letter was found. One other odd circumstantial aspect of the affair is the fact that the American girl whose| flat Maclean wrecked. while drunk that night in May, 1950. was employed in the American Embassy library. Maclean ar- rived at the girl's apartment late. having her earlier in the evening at! cock~ tail party. By this time he and ja friend with him were quite }drunk, and they burst in and began pulling down curtains. smashing pictures and doing ‘other damage. | Flees and Calls Help ; The girl fled and telephoned ‘for heip, and by the time the police arrived the apartment was @ shambies and the two men nad passed out. American Ambassador Jeffer- son Caffery Next morning, as the first business of the day, jwalked across the street to Brit- ish Ambassador Sir Ralph Stev- ‘enson, formally declared Mac- lean to be “persona non erata” to the American Embassy and .demanded damages for the git!’s effects. \ Sir Ratph ordered Maclean ‘put on the first airplane leav- ing Cairo and did not even per- mit him to come into the em- bassy to clean up his desk. He was airbound for London by 2 o'clock that esternoon. Hence theré was scarcely an opportunity for him to pick up ‘any conspiratorial mail in the embassy library, But the affair certainiy gives the lie to the as- sertion in the Moscow statement that neither Burgess nor Mac- Yean had acted as Communist age —_——_ he American Embassy _in * Benno Cairo knows of the discovery of the “Cairo letter,” buses tent to which the British may; have communicated the details, to the American Embassy or have examined with American authorities the question af who} the American author of the Iet- ter to Maclean might have been ‘is not, of course, known to this reporter. In any case, such a decision would ave been taken secretly in London, and not Cairo, As 2 footnote to the affai: Maclean in Cairo occupied a arge residence owned by the British government, and as pf ‘December telvphone bills wete still coming in his name. ft .Jtakes a long time to gel dirch- tories changed in Cairo. i