PETROV TOLD TO RECRUIT SOVIET AGENTS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27395, 7 July 1954, Page 12

PETROV TOLD TO RECRUIT SOVIET AGENTS

(Rec. 11 p.m.) . MELBOUI&E, July 6. Instructions from Moscow to Vladimir Petrov, former. Third Secretary at the Soviet Embassy in Canberra, on recruiting ' agents for espionage work were read to the Royal Commission on Espionage in Australia today. Petrov surprised the commission by revealing the amount of his salary while employed at the embassy.

A highlight of today’s sitting was the appearance of Mrs Edvokia Petrov in the witness box.

When the hearing resumed, Petrov said he met Mr G. R. Richards, of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, 12 times in Sydney and Canberra before he finally sought asylum in Australia. He told Richards he intended to remain in Australia and asked if he would be protected and whether he would be given any assistance to settle. Richards promised to help. He told Richards his wife had parents in Moscow and it was difficult for her to make a sudden decision. As he understood from her, she might stay. He told Richards that he would help him witl} “external affairs information,” but he did not give him any information at the time. On March 31, they talked about a party meeting at the Embassy at which he and Mrs Petrov had been criticised. He told Richards then that he had decided definitely that he would not go back to the embassy after April 3. Richards and he then arranged to pick up some of his personal belongings. They both went to his house and while Richards stood by outside he picked up his rifle, some English-Russian dictionaries, two shirts, a fishing rod, two reels, and some fishing fifes and devons. Petrov said that on April 1 in Canberra, he handed over a bag containing personal belongings, and he and Richards travelled on the same plane to Sydney the next day. They did not sit next to each other and did not recognise each other. Tn Sydney he showed Richards and Colonel Spry, chief of the Australian Security Organisation, some documents. On April 2, Petrov said, he signed a request for political asylum. On April 3 he met s Richards at Mascot aerodrome where i he had seen a party of Russian officers i on the way to Canberra. Later he met ■ Elistov, who was going to New Zealana, at Darlinghurst, and paid him « £lO travelling expenses.

Given £5OOO I He said Richards promised to help him settle in Australia as he had lost his savings and practically everything. On April 3, Richards gave him £5OOO. He had not received any mpre. All his private belongings were packed away by his wife in five trunks which were eventually taken over by the Soviet. HiS wife had lost a certain amount, but she took some to Darwin. (Mrs Petrov, on her way back to Russia, was granted political asylum, at Darwin on April 20.) Petrov said his wife had lost a sewing machine, a piano, and clothing. He had lost a lot of fishing tackle, a gun, and everything belonging to a sportsman. In addition, they had about 21,000 roubles in the savings account in Moscow. During his stay in Australia, a large part of his salary was paid into his Moscow account. It represented about 100,000 roubles. An Australian pound was equal to about 8.90 roubles. Mr Windeyer: M.D.V. officers were well paid?—Yes. My salary at the beginning of 1954 was more than 4000 roubles a month. Mr Windeyer: If Mrs Petrov had gone home to Russia after you had left the service in Australia, she would have been punished?-rShe would have lost everything. Mr Windeyer said the high salaries of these people indicated the importance of their work in the eyes of Mos- I cow. These were not ordinary embassy j salaries, but M.V.D. salaries. Mr Justice Owen: I must say, to me these figures are very surprising. “Frightened to Go Back** In reply to questions, Petrov said he was frightened to go back to Russia. He had met Beria once and had known many people closely associated with Beria. When Beria was disgraced and executed, these people were arrested and liquidated. He was afraid if hd Went back of arrest and

A note in which Petrov told the Russians he was going to commit suicide was then read. Petrov said it was an attempt to explain his absence to the Ambassador (Mr N. I. Generalov). When it was known that he had not committed suicide, he tried to get in touch with his wife through the De-

partment of External Affairs. He received no answer to a letter he wrote to the Embassy. A letter from the Embassy stating that his wife did not want to meet him as she felt she might fall into a trap was sent only after she had left on the way to Darwin.

Mr Justice Owen: We have a copy of the letter from your wife dated April 18 which was sent from the Embassy to the Department of External Affairs. Petrov: But I did not ever see that letter.

Mr Windeyer explained that Mrs Petrov had already joined Richards on April 20 and she would give evidence later about the letter.

Instructions from Moscow At this stage Mr Windeyer produced letters which Petrov received from Moscow in June, 1952. One letter, headed “Concerning the plan of work,” said: “Intelligence work in Australia in ISSI-52 was actually at a standstill and has not produced any discernible results. The aggravation of the international situation and the pressing necessity for the timely exposure and prevention of cunning designs of the enemy, call imperatively for a radical reorganisation of all our intelligence work and the urgent creation of an illegal apparatus in Australia. In this connexion the work> ers of the Australian section of the M.V.D. should devote special attention, to the taking of measures for the preparation of conditions for illegal workers (novators).

“The putting into effect of measures relating to novators is at the present moment one of the top-priority tdsks, on the fulfilment of which should be engaged all the workers. of the Australian M.V.D. section, including persons Who have been drawn in. “Workers of the M.V.D. section must take into account that the success of the operations in preparation will in large measure depend on the timely collection of data concerning the situ-

ation pertaining to agents, the acquisition of various documents, and the preparation of the conditions for the entry aifd settling of novators.’’ Another letter said the “M.V.D. section must therefore instantly begin collecting the necessary data and compiling reports, without observing any fixed time limits, and send them in instalments to M.V.D. headquarters.” This letter advised Petrov to

(1) Take measures for the recruitment of valuable agents, who have access to enemy intelligence and counter-intelligence organisations and who have “possibilities of supplying us with information concerning plans about the sabotage activities of the British-American bloc against the Soviet and the people's democracies. (2) “Put into effect active agent manoeuvres for the exposure of the channels of transmission of enemy agents, and also for the substitution of trusted agents to the Australian and British intelligence in order to intercept and to unmask enemy agents who are being, or have already been, sent to the Soviet and the people’s democracies. The Australian M.V.D. section must here and now take practical measures for the training of agents for work in extraordinary circumstances.” A third letter said: “In the event of extraordinary circumstances, each agent should have concrete tasks allotted in advance, and firm conditions should be worked out for contact witn our illegal or group leader. However, the cadre-workers of the M.V.D section should carry out this work gradually and in such a manner that, when these or other questions are discussed with agents, no panic shoulc spread among them, and so that thej should not interpret our preparations as a sign of inevitable war in the neai future. . “Side by side with the fulfilment o new tasks, more attention should be devoted to the improvement of thi

direction of the work of all active agents so as to secure the most effective exploitation of their capabilities and opportunities. For this purpose it is necessary to study deeply the personal qualities of agents and to prepare thoroughly for the carrying out of meetings with them. Work must go on continuously on the improvement of ways and means of contact with agents. You should strive especially to attain a reduction in personal meetings with an agent in the street. “For these purposes it is necessary to utilise not only secret hiding places for documents, but also reception and transmission points, the organisation of which is a pressing task for the M.V.D. section. Taking into apebunt the fact that the agents available to you cannot, according' to their qualities and opportunities, solve the important tasks facing the M.V.D. section, you must now at last begin recruitment work. In the first place it is essential to avoid the recruitment of persons whose progressive activity is known to the counter-intelligence, and to concentrate attention on the study - and recruitment of persons engaged on secret work of the Government and occupying leading posts in political parties and organisations, capable of supplying us with valuable informa- , tion. The work of recruitment should 1 be carried out boldly, with forethought and inventiveness.’’ “Fifth Column”

To Mr Justice Owen. Petrov said the reference to “extraordinary circumstances” meant “the preparation of a new war.” It was the contemplated state of war in which agents would have to take up tasks. Mr Justice Owen: To set x u> an organisation of agents to wbrk in the event of war?—Yes. What we would call a fifth column? —Yes.

When Mrs Edvokia Petrov went to the witness box, Mr Justice Owen said the commission understood that Mrs Petrov feared for the safety of relatives and some of her friends in Russia. If she were asked to give any information which might cause repercussions, she had only to speak to Mr Birse (the translator) or to the Bench.

Mrs Petrov said she was posted to Australia in January. 1951. Her husband was to come officially as a referent (a rank below attache), but soon afterwards was appointed Third Secretary. She did not know her official posting, but she was secretary to the ambassador and bookkeeper to the embassy. “I '■looked after all the embassy accounts,” she said. “I also looked after M.G.B. accounts, but not the G.R.U. accounts.” Her work as secretary and bookkeeper kept her busy up to 3 o’clock every morning. She said she also had secret intel-, ligence work for the K.I. She had to find or choose or indicate likely agents for study. attended many receptions both at the embassy and in private houses and at all these functions she looked out for people who might eventually become suitable agents. She made a number of reports on likely people who might become useful and those reports were

She said that when Sadovnikov was recalled, she took over the K.L (Committee of Information) documents and equipment. Among the documents handed over by Sadovnikov was the K.I. cipher. She said she acted as K.I. chief resident in Australia. She was very busy indeed. While she was being paid by both the embassy and the M.V.D., she got £lO4 a month in Australian money from embassy funds and 2700 roubles a month were paid into her account in Moscow. Of this 900 roubles came from the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the rest from the M.V.D. After payment from the embassy ceased,. she received £5O a month in cash from the M.V.D: and a balance of about 2300 roubles in Moscow. Her salary had been reduced because she was then doing no operational work. She paid two income taxes totalling about 10 per cent, of her salary. Mr Justice Owen: When you sought asylum in Australia, how much was accredited to your account in Moscow? —I think about 30.000 roubles. That would be equivalent to £3OOO. but it is not the same value in Moscow.