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Continued from page 1 fold me at one staze he had been on the telephone with his employers). + After Philby said that he worked for the K G B I took the opportunity to make my position clear: I did not propose to con- duct a formal interview In the sense of asking him 2 set of questions, but that I held myself free to write an account of our. mecling at some subsequent time; and that 1 did not think there Was any point jn our debating the merits or other- wise of Communism, or in my offering him any comments on the career he had chosen. He said in reply that he would assume thal it was possible that 1 worked for some Western Intelligence service. (He subse- quently said: “1 nalurally took precautions against any rough stufl—you would not have got fen yards down the street.")| But he ecemed, at the time, quite relaxed. We met subsequently at number of restaurants nomi- nated by Philby. During these Jong Russian meals vodka, wine and brandy flowed freely, Philby talked lengthiy, even compulsively. Ie is clearly = sociable type of drinker and he secms to have an jron bead; I could detect no change in his sietiness or joviality as the waiters arrived with relays of 300 grammes of vodka or 600 grammes of Armenian brandy. The conversations which fol- low took place in no particular order, and I present them with- out further comment of my cwn. Gerald Brooke and the Krogers. Philby raised this sub- ject himself, spontaneously. “There was an interesting sug: gestion in The Economist," he faid, “The idea was that I would be prepared to withdraw my manuscript if the Krogers were exchanged fag Brooke. that were in fact a condition of the Krogers being released, of course 1 would withdraw my book.” T asked, “Is thet # messape for someone? Do you want that passed on?” Philby replied, ENo, it was just an idea I had lL asked, * Why are you 50 anxi ous to make this exchange wil the Krogers?” pa 4) Hterary man. Philby: “Our position is that! the Krogers are innocent of the charges on_which they were convicied. They were personal, not political friends of Gordon Lonsdale, We don’t dispute that people like Gorton and Colonel Avcl were our agents, highly skilled professionals, but we cannot egree that the Krogers were the top-level agents they are being represented as, or in- deed our axents at all except in the sense of being friends of Lonsdaic's.” 1 asked, “Did you write Lonsilaie's memajrs?” Philby: “Gordon is a very talented fellow but he is no } looked over his manuscript.” Continuing on the Krogers, he said: “ We hear that they are deteriorating in prison. Kroger, we are informed, is covered in eczema. The. condi- tions they are being held under are inhumanly severe.” 1 said, “I suppose a very close eye is being kent on them after Biake’s escape.” Philb; “Perhaps. In any nt; we consider this cxchance Gould well take place. Now, look bt the other side, 15 a pily about Brooke, he really was a sily fellow, He gat involved with the NTS (The i t ‘ vencrable organisati ~ were sup! Russian jon) pose: be wi “People’s Labour Front”, ® refugee ‘and they gave him le ta cont 0 a list of peop! act who forking inside the Soviet ‘Union. We trated what is left of wens: iy that the fe contacted the NTS first, was a KGB man. All Brooke's trial out at wo thoroug! person ht well known in the 1 said, feeling in was more OF handing literature him off {1 Philb: with any There seems the West less out and was ‘or est. this came ands to bea that Brooke innocently anti-Communist . grabbed bY your people in order to exchange’ “well, check of your Rus ing colicagues here In Mo ‘Philby’s version 0! seemed (did: Brooke's square people Philby NTS really belongs activities with the who attended | continued CIA, It used to me who it $18 oY some time in T ought to kn! jn repo! be was the Krogers.” it ovt sian-speak: Moscow. rts of his trial.) “Now, the to the financed panded panded it over. Is certainly makes Brook sort of 7 It's America him back. id; “Are you heSping Hetreatins things Brooke, be doing “In the all, he expect to get a ‘Western & up gy to is in a table spread caviare Prisons book if the changed superiors: /4/; and wine) be tend to That's come I | by rigon. ih thi rent, to you and decide who cee en is (indicati with vod 1 some doesn't she ka, in prison. unpleasant always Ing wants 4 \