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. & ad Memorandum W, A, Branigan to Bo eres RE: HAROLD ADRIAN RUSSELL PHILBY ed Philby claims that prior to “SMNRNMWM" departure for London, he (Philby) and Geoffrey Paterson, the MI-5 representative, advised the Director that Fuchs could not be interrogated because of British law but that the Director refused to budge and sent ene to London to conduct the interview. Philby claims that he had called at "“SQQQNJWMB' office when he heard " was back and found someone else in his chair and that ound ‘MGB himself further down the corridor writing on the corner of a desk in a small room occupied by four junior Agents. o> Comment: There is nothing in Bureau files to show that Philby and Paterson had so advised the Director. Philby's Statosient: In Chapter XII, Philby states that in order to throw off the FBI, he advanced a theory to explain the disappear- ance of Maclean and Burgess that Maclean had discovered he was under investigation by MI-5 in London and used Burgess to make the necessary arrangements with the Soviets for their escape. Philby claims his theory was accepted by the FBI. "Ladd and Lamphere both liked it, and, in a short interview I had with Hoover at the time, he jumped at it. In his eyes it had the superlative merit of pinning all the blame on M1I-5." (Page 208g) Comment: A search of our files relating to the Maclean-Burgess matter has failed to disclose any information that Philby advanced such a theory or that he had ever discussed the Maclean-Burgess case with the Director. (@ vey bs