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crn (Mount Clipping in Space Below) by ROY PERROTT, Chief Reporter of The Observer T first, for the initial hour or there was nothing abnormal " about his absence. As journalist with a difficult. largel unpredictable, Middte East beat to follow he had schooled his wife. Eleanor, to accept unexplained leave-takings and appointments’ as routine, For the initial hour or so, any foreign correspondent’s wife would have been impatient but at case. That evening Philby had left his fifth- floor flat on the Rue Kantari in iret at about 6 p.m.. saying he would join his wife later, They were duc at a small dinner party at the house of Hugh Balfour-Paui, First Secretary at the British Embassy, a close friend of theirs, by 8.30 p.m. . About 7 p.m. he telephoned his home to say he would be Jate and that Eleanor should go along without him. One of the Philby children took the call and later said he sounded “ in a hurry " but - otherwise not abnormal. It is still not known who the “appointment ™ was with, or if ther .was one at all, None of Philby many routine contacts has com forward to say they met him, ot Expected to meet him, that evening. FL JULI 6 18° . When Philby failed to show up next day his wife alerted the British’ Embassy and they the Lebanese lice. It is significant, in view of later developments, that the first, reaction of his wife and close friends should be that he had had an accident. Next day Eleanor, helped by an American friend of theirs named Miles Copeland (an ex-diplomat who. by coingidence, had been on the United States Government Committee which had cleared Philby of complicity in the Burgess and Maclean case) organised a thorough search of all the hospitals in the district. They not only tele- phoned each place in turn, but also sent people along (they spent £100 that day hiring transport and searchers) to make quite sure he wasn't there suffering from loss of memory, uncon- sciousness or something similar. HILBY: all we kno Mr, Tolron. . Relmont____. 7» Mohr, Creper . fatehan . Maw HH has. Miss Guaty Indicate page, name of Ww city and etate,) The Observer )_Page 17 —+ __london, England 1/7/63 Date: Edition: Author: Editor: tite: DONALD-DUART™ Kurehije Character: or ESP - R Submitting Ottice; London Classification: Tae f pee 3 NOT RECORDED JUL 15 19°3 4