◆ SpookStack

| p course, but the mere winning of it did me good. ‘The perhaps fanciful thought has since vccurred to me that art of Bremmer's mission, to he airport was to see that M15 did not pull a fast one on 5.1.8, | By arresting me on, arrival. In view of laver developments, this seems, on the whole, un likely. 0 1 put forward the ides for fun only. Easton told me that Dick White {of Mf.1.5} was anxious to see us both as soon as sible. 80 we drove to Leconfield House, off Curzon Street, where MIS had set up their head- quarters. ‘This was to be the first of many. interrogations, although an attempt was made, at this early stage, lo conceal that ugly fact. Easton sat in while ite ‘asked the questioni the role of the former was presumably to see fair play. It may be imagined that {there “was, some apprehension (on my side, some embarrass- tment on ‘heirs. I could not claim White as @ close friend ; ersonal and official Burgess-Maclean affair. 1 gave . him a lot of information about. Burgess’s past and impressions his personality, taking the ne ttt it was. almost in- conceivable that anyone like Burgess, who courted the lime- light, instead of avoiding It and was generally notorious for ind‘scretion, could have been a secret agent, let alone a Soviet xgent from whom strictest security. slandards would be required. meena al I did not expect this line to te in any way convincing as to the facts of the case; but I hoped It would give the impres- gion that 1 was implicitly de- {rndiyz myself against’ the unspoken charge that Looe trained counter - esplonage officer, had been completely fooled’ by Burgess. Of Maclean, T disclaimed all knowledge. T had heard of him, of course, and might even have met him here or there, but offhand I could not have Put a face to him. As I had only met nim twice, for about half an hour in all and both tines on a conspira- torial basis, since 2937, I felt that 1 cow safely induige in this slight distortion of the truth. 1 offered to put a summary of what had said on paper. It was possible that our talk was bugged, and I wanted a written record to correct any piss that the microphone might have betrayed. When I went back for my second interrogation a few days later, White gave my note a cursory glance, then edged to- wards the real focus of his {pterest. We might clarify matters. he sald. if I gaye him an account of my relations with Burgess. To that end, a detailed state. ment on my own career would * be useful ‘As I have stated. there were some awkward zig-zags hegotiated, but I explained them away as best I could. WE mee MY RESIGNS For..three ho attled with -ML5. interro; He would » £4,000 in liew of unease was incr afterwatds when that he had de all my effects (mostly books , and gramophone records) to pay for the trip. Ip was reasonably plausible and quite impossible to disprove, to be In doing so. I yave White a } but our plece of gratuitous information, ‘relations had always been ex- a slip which | regretted bitterly Burgess’s connection with my paying me the | cellent. at the time. But it is virtually Spanish venture was never once. . _ He was bad at dissembling, certain that they would have found out, I had an explanation I would get £2 but did his best to put our. dug it out for themselves in ready, but I already had quite the rest in. ball, talk on a friendly footing. He time. and it is perhaps just as enough to explaln ments of £500 wanted my help. he said, in well that I drew attention to it When 1 offered to produce a reason for the clearing wy Ulis appalling myself at an early stage. second summary of our talks, ments was the his information related to. & White agreed, but asked me might dissipate speculation, bun. ¢ trip “whith 1. had: made 0 rather impatiently ta_harp less Franco Spain before The ‘Times on Burgess and concentrate on—enequiated in iny tent meas tel accredited my own tecord, Ail but the up abit thin, A Peason was the of the cat's tail was now out of correspondent it seemed that the bag, and I was not surprised M.L5 nad no record of that trip against the poss being sent to ta; and had assumed that The to receive a summons from the Times had sent me to Spain Chief {Colonel Stewart Menztes,} Veats girect from a desk in Fleet te told me that he hod —__e reel ‘i received a strong letter from When 1 corrected White on BadelSmith (head of the , 60 there, 1 wa this point, he did not take CA.} the terms of which pre- in my hands and long to ask me if I had paid Cinded any possibility of my cloud over my for the first journey out of my returning to Washington. 1 the summer hous The ne eestiol Th was 8 aasty learned later that the letter had Settled for asm: ittle question, because the been drafted in great part by Fuckmansmoi jovember enterprise had been suggested to me and financed by the Soviet Service, Just as Krivitzkv had said. and a glance at mv bank Bil! Harvey [of the C..A.} whose wile Burgess had bitterly suited during a convivial party telephoned me : see him at lv following morni balance for the period would 2¢ my house, | had apologised re ur Pave Shown ‘that 1 had no handsomely for his behaviour, ,,! Grove up lo means for galilvanting around and the apology bad apparently beautiful wintry Spain been accept TL was there. the, hedgerows Embedded in tunis eprsode was fore difficu: to understand under inch-thick also the dangerous iitte fact Harvey's retrospective exercise 16 OM a: that Burress had been used to 1 spite. ened. (nto. My expla. . After thts. tt was aimos, a opened into Tepienish mv funds. that the Spanish formality when the Chief called Ane inquiry nation was journey had been an attempt me a second lime and told me. of Milmo, a to break into the world of high. With obvious distress, that he ho had worse on which I woutd have to ask for my fne’the war, 1 grade fournalism, had staked everything seiling resignation give evidence, oped I would tion. The mention cated that a hand I knew He was 8 8k:t! ‘he was the r usually brough As I drove Why no escort for Philby ? possibility that he was surreptl- tiously shadowed during the ight is remote In view of the story he tells about the search for him on the bus—a story that seems too circumstantial to be fabricated. Could it be that the Secret Intelligence Service wanted him to follow Burgess and Maclean quietly into exile? When the circumstances of bis final dis- appearance from Beirut to Russia in 1963 after being interrogated by an S.1.S. official into account, this THE MOST ttracrdinary disclosure in this episode is the fact that though Philby was cleatly under grave suspicion when he was recalled to London for interrogation by M.15, he was allowed to travel back un- escorted. The Russians would not have done it this way. It was only a few days afler Maclean had evaded M15 Interrogation by escaping to Russia via what was then obviously a coute planned by Soviet Intelligence, — Phithy admits that he was on the point of escaping from America. Wane “effort seems to bi