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howe BEGINNING The whole story, which —to put not too much lemon in the tea— the Britich-g+ernment a dit upset, began when MacLean and Burgess were students together at Trinily College in Cambridge, England. Both had brilliant academic records. Both showed some communist lean- ings while there, Both seemed to have renounced them when they left. Mr. MacLean {s the son_of a former cabinet minister, Sir Donald MacLean. Young MacLean joined dhe diplomatic service in 1935. He gerved in Paris, Washington and Cairo, rising swiftly to the rank of counselor in 1938 at 35. He was here in| Washington during the World War JI period. “In May, 1950," said the recent British government white paper on the case, “while serving at Her Majesty's embassy at Cairo, Mr. MacLean was guilty of serious mis- conduct and suffered a farm of breakdown which was attributed to overwork and excessive drinking. “Until the breakdown, his worl: had remained eminently satisfactory and there was no ground whatso- ever for doubting his loyally. After recuperation and leave at home he was passed medically fit. and in Oc- tober, 1950, was appointed head of the American department of the Foreign Office which, since it docs not deal with the major problems of Anglo-American relations, appeared to be within his capacity.” (The opposition is likeiy to make a sharp point of this when the House of Commons debates the case next month. INQUIRY (Also, Capt. Henry Kerby, Con- servative member of Parliament, has demanded a full scale public inquiry into the case. He said both men were “known as drunks and sex perverts for years’ to a great Many persons, He also claimed the Foreign Office was deliberately cove ering vp sordid deta Guy Francis de Mor ey Burgess, who became a second secretary in Washington in 1950, was much bet- ter known here than his partner in espionage. This was because of the number of tim he was arrested for reckless dr’ Burgess came to Washington with a black mark against him. Early in 1950, British security of- ficers informed the Foreign Office that in late 1949 while on a holiday abroad Mr. Burgess had talked in- discreetly about secrets that he had official knowledge of. “For this he was severely rep. timanded}” said the British white aper, adding that “apart from this pse his Service up to the time of his appointment to Washington was sallsfactory.” y But his work here proved un satisfactory. Again,he drew a rep- rimand, This tune ane con fidential papers unattended. In May, 1951, he was recalied to London and asked to resign, on the promise of being booted owt if he didn’t, “It was at this point,” said the British government, “that he (and Maclean) disappeared.” That was Friday, May 25, 1951. Did a “third man” help their getaway? Just 16 months before that, Brit- ish authorities had received reports of a security leak. WHITE PAPER The white paper takes up the story from there: “In January 1949, the security authorities received a report that certain Foreign Office information had leaked to the Soviet authorities some years earlier, The report amounted to little more than a hint and it was at the time impossible to altribute the leak to any particu Jar individual. “Highly secret but widespread and protracted inquiries were he- gun.... The field of suspicion had been narrowed by mid-April 1951 to two or three persons. By the be- ginning of May, MacLean (was) principal suspect. Even at that time, there was no legally admis- sible’ evidence. “Arrangements were made to en- sure that information of exception- al secrecy and importance should not come into his hands. Meantime, seculily authorities arranged to in- his activities and con- tacts to obtain information which could be used as evidence. “On May 25 the then Secretary of State, Herbert Morrison, sanctioned a proposal that the securily author: ities should question MacLean. Such tioning might produce no con- ssion or Yoiuntary slatement suf- nt to support a proseculjon, but might serve only to alert him. “In that event he would ha been free to make arrangements to Jeave the country and the authori- ties would have had no legal power to stop him. Everything therefore depended on the inierview. The security authorities were anxious to be as fully prepared as was hu- manly possible. “They were also anxious that MacLean's house at Tatsfield, Kent, should be searched. This was an additional reason for delaying the proposed Interview until mid-June when Mrs. MacLean, who was then pregnant, was expected io be away from home. “It is now clear that In gpite of the precautions taken by thefuthor- ities, MacLean must have become aware that he was under investig2- tion, One explanation may be that he observed that he was no longer receiving certain types of secret papers.” . Wash. Post and Times Herald Wash. News Wash. Star N.Y. Herald H Tribune N. Y. Mirror Daily Worker The Worker New, Leader Date