◆ SpookStack

——L), ) srtente Vaky £7960 BRITON BARES | ‘BLUNDERS' IN’ BURGESS CASE Ex-Chief of Security Tells of Gag’ | LONDON, July 7 {Reuters} ~—A book published Thursday told of frustrations of the British security chief in Wash- ington and his “ gagging” by an Official British investiga- tion in connection with the “Burgess and Maclean” af-) * fair. cS Francis J. Thumpson, 51,’ ~ said in his book “ Destination! Washington” that “not one man, but many," blundered in hte case of the British dip- lomais, Guy Burgess and Don-; ald Maclean, who defected to Russia in 1951. i Burgess, 50, and Maclean, 46, are now in Moscow. Burgess Recall Cited I Burgess had been’ recalled, as second secretary to the British embassy in Washing- ton, May 4, 1951. Maclean was head of the American depart-, ment of the foreign office at the time. { Thompson asserted he was largely responsible for Bur- Bess’ recall. He had been sen- PROD wR? pre jad ior security officcr at the ling . British embassy in Washing-; ton since 1948. In 1950 he re-| ceived a report on Burgess’ pending transfer there. He said he and Sir Robert/S McKenzic, then regional se-)2 curity officer for North and Central America, exchanged | haffled glances when they|s! read the foreign office report on Burgess. The report said|~ —_ s “a drunkard would bear watching.” es Securnty” | Breachit~ ‘hompson said Burgess’ ac- tivities did not permit an around-the-clock observation “which ideally should have been kept.” i He described breaches :of security by Burgess while U embassy and how Burgess was stopped for speeding three times in one day by Ameri- can police, once in the com- pany of a “ well known sexual pervert.” Burgess was oflen “half- conscious and obviously very drunk” at his office, Thomp- s0n wrote. Thompson, a Scotland Yard and royal air force veteran, said Burgess was “ allowed to roam about freely all over (he United States and to keep up any contacts he may have had, then finally to get to England and link up with Maclean.” Thompson wrote that apart/ci from the criminal investiga-| ir tion department; British secu-|c! rity men were no more than|is well meaning amateurs who “bungled a major investiga- e tion” in the Burgess case, Offer Is Rebuffed In 1956, three years after leaving the foreign office, Thompson said he asked to give evidence to a committee investigating British security. The foreign office, he} wrote, old him in reply that the prime minister had in- viled the committee to “ ex. amine the security proce- dures now appleid in the! public services and to con- - sider whether any further measures are necessary.” The’ group was not asked'¢c to look into the past, Thomp-! 4 ~. son said he was told. c Thompson expressed his: disappointment at not being!; able to describe the “ sorry|- “picture of British’ security in’ ———arrica” and alleged he was! “gages.” —- —t ON CER GREABDSC ron ° eersuaeetre cus