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Cc {DID RUSSIANS INFORM ON MARTELLI?” DEFENCE QUESTION 1 TO JURY Did the Russians themselves, tell the British security branch abou! Dr. Giuseppe Martelli? Mr. Jerem jury at the Central Criminal Court , yesterday. Martelli, aged 39, an Italian physicist who was employed on non-classified work in the Atomic Energy Authority's Jaboratory at_Cutham, Oxfordshire, has pleaded Not Guilty to nine charges under the Official Secrets Act. The prosecution have said that he was ready to act as & spy for Russia Mr. Hutchinson, in his closing speech for the defence, yesterday said that who- ever gave the first information to’ the j pected with” Karpekov, (a Russian Embassy man named as the Soviet agent controlling” both Martelli and Vassall, ‘the Admiralty spy). “NEARLY LIQUIDATION ” (Mr. Hutchinson said that, Karpekov slipped away six days before Vassall was arrested by Scotland Yard. Vassall con- fessed to being a spy when he was caught and repeatedly passed classified material to which he had access. “Where did the allegation against Dr. Martelli come from?” “Did it come from the Russians them- selves for some reason or other? WI knows? It is not liquidation, of cou but it is not far short of that, so far |Dr. Martelli is concerned if he were be convicted of this offence,” (Mount Clipping in Space Below) exasperaicd at getting no information| totaily expendable—they security branch about Martelli was con) — Mr. Hutchinson said that from the Russian point of view Dr. Martelli was seemed to be “Tf Dr. Martelli getting fed up with him. ; ven no informa~ 1s telling the truth he had. Hutchinson, Q.C., asked the secrets trial tion and had none to give. Mr. Hutchinson said that if Karpekov controlled other persons in Britain and one of those was a scientist, then to ‘turn in the useless Dr. Martelli might divert atten- tion from anybody who was really spying in some scientific establishment in this country, . Earlier he said to the jury: “The over- -whelming fact is that Martelli had no ‘information to pass. He never had any information to pass and there is no escape from that.” : POTENTIAL BLACKMAIL He referred to the Russian intelligence | methods including blackmail, and went on: “No one believed that a responsible person over here. a Minister, would give secrets to some girl—of course not, that would be }Wukulous-—but what a fantastic achieve ment for the Russians to have got someone | in such:a position of potential blackmail. It is. fantastic to have achieved that situation. “One always believes that everybody, particularly oneself, will stand up to black- mail, and that one’ could resist blackmail It needs courage, and in this particular caso you know who I am referring to—having regard to what happened afterwards, one does not know . ! “You won't be too quick to say of Dr. Martelli * Why didn't you do this, and why didn't you do that’. It is not too easy to behave in tho way we think we should,” ‘Asking the jury to return verdicts of Not Guilty on all the counts in the indictment, Mr. Hutchinson_said: nothing case. This indictment has been split up but what it alleges in simple words is that this man you are trying is a spy.” ‘The trial was adjourned until today. Mr. justice Phillimore indicated thal Its sum- Ming up would not finish until Mendex This is an all-or- Miss Helimes Miss Gandy . (Indicate page, name of newspaper, city and state) _The Times _Page 7 _London, England pete: 7/12/63 Edition: Author: Editor: Tite: GUISEPPE ENRI GILBERTO MARTELL a) characte: IS - R or Classification: Submitting Office: NOT RECORDED 191 Jur 18 1963