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cnet Yet the Burgess build-up cpn- nues. Many of his friends ent to Aghe in Bpain. He fic it. Mr. Driberg is not cont¢nt j Merely, to state that fact. O must ‘declaim that “Guy re- ‘ gisted the emotional urge to follow the example of these heroic friends.” * | \Who cares? HAT ts an example of something phoney in the whole thing. It sounds a false, cracked note. In the pottery trade it would be known as “seconds.” After all this we are Invited to take seriously Burgess's views on men, and events. “Guy, thinks this.” "Guy finds that.” " Who cares? “Guy Burgess considera that it was Bevin, even more than the Americans, who was respon. sible, oY his continuation pf Churchill's policy, for startidg the Cold War.” e opinion is worthless. Bat tHe sentence ts loaded with ig- shpuation. It infers that it was a} Labour Foreign Minister, a mservative Prime Minister, and the U.S. who were respon- sible for the perennia) cr! in which we are living today. Not Russia! Never Russia } And that is the real theme of this book. Upon the siender story of Burgess's life (he eats four exgs for his breakfast and ‘wears an Old Etonian bow-tie |) and the interesting sarrative of the flight from Britain is hung the continual suggestion that the West is the sinner an Russia the saint. It is the Driberg theme-song. + qt is that of Burgess too. When he was at the B.B.C. he saw to it that a “harmless” series on food was turned into Left-Wing propaganda. A series on Spain gave equal time to ie sides. But Burgess “ cob- rived that the Republican side should be reported by the bettqr speakers,” So that is how it Js doned — Mr, Driberg should not have ven the game away. At one int he solemnly tells ug: ‘\Chamberlain and Wi Te hot, of course, conscio ahd deliberate traitors Britain.” The ingenuousness of that phrase, in the context of this book, 4s delicious. But Driberg 4s not being funny—at Teast not intentionally s0. Some statements will make the reader queasy. One fs that Burgess and Maclean went to Russia “for the sake of prin- ciple... in the earnest hope of doing something. however small, to secure world’ peace.” Sadness ACLEAN went because he was in imminent Sanger of arrest. Bu Bess, went ne} Maclean asHed him to. Even in Prague fel haltthougnt “of going to Italy because “After all I done my part by Donald—I} detivered him behind the ‘Irgi Curtain!” much for tl “earnest bope of securing wor] peace.” We proceed to Mr. Driberg’s fina) dissertation on treason, which few wiil find acceptable, and to Burgess's statement that he hopes to return to England “when the hysteria of the Coid ‘War period has completely died down.” Since Russia has restarted the war by the murder of Hungary it seems that it will be some time yet before, his native land will have the rivilege and pleasure of seeing im again: Weep, Britannia ! The healthy-minded reader will turn from this book with @ eling of sadness. It congerns en who are rootless and f§ith- lgss, with little idea of pringple, nour, dignity. or truth. pPer- Naps they deserve our [pity r&ther than our censure.