◆ SpookStack

Cc Truman admits in his Memoirs (pp. 374-5) that there was 2 formal commitment with the British, made prior to November 6, 1950, not to take action which might involve attacks on the Manchurian side of the Yalu without consultation with "the British, He also states that this _ information was first given Mac- Arthur on that date in response to his message of intent to bomb the bridges. Is it jumping at conclu- sions to presume that this fatal commitment was known to the British Far Eastern expert at the * British Embassy in Washington yr and to the Head of abla et! he in London—and assuredly to the *” Russians, the Red Chinese and the North Koreans? When was the Rot say, Its existence was “pointed out” to him by Assistant Secretary 245 of State, Dean Rusk. Almost as a fact-note to the gov- erament’s silence on the case is 2 } Paragraph in an address by Secre- . j tary of the Army Wilber M. Bruck- *“t er, February 17, 1996 in which he x] seems to largely overlook Burgess, :| but does admit, for the first time mj #9 an address cleared by the Exec- sq Utive Branch of government, that = Burgess and Maclean damaged a American as well as British interests: “Just last Saturday, the Soviets Tne Buncrss-Macuran Case —— ee se the American: . Department of the Foreign Office ; commitment made? Truman does’ Editor's Note: In the second installment: the men nobody knew—the people who did know and who might have knowa—questions and recommendations | he Brutecan Vier . Febe [957 13 finally unveiled Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, two prize pices of evidence of the deceit and treach- ery which have s0 long been prin- | cipal characteristics of Communist tactics, and have brazenly Aaunted them in our faces. It is sobering « indeed to reflect that one of them held a high position in the British} Embassy in Washington over a pe- riod of four critical years, and knew: : about some of our most closely Buarded secrets—ssecrets of priceless value to the communist conspira-’ cy.’ It - provokes’ equally serious thought to recall that for almost five yeags the Soviets have consist- ently disclaimed any . connection’ with either of these men—have sneeringly denied that they had fied. to the Soviet Union. This successful subversive operation, planned and executed with consummate skill, well illustrates not only the vicious ~ ’ “nature of the monster with which we must deal, but also the depths of its penetration into the vitals of the Free World. It is a startling re-, minder of the grim task ahead.” H™, can we know unless we are told? Is there any reason on earth why at this late date the full story of Burgess and Maclean during their stays in this country— their functions, their access to American secrets and their Ameri- can contacts—should not be clari- fied? Is anyone, including Mr. Brucker, reasonably sure that it could not happen again?