Leakage Of Secrets Reported On By Commission

Chronicle (Levin), 6 March 1946, Page 5

Leakage Of Secrets Reported On By Commission

Press Assn

Four Canadlan-born Accused In Court

By Telegraph

.-Copyright

Receivecl Tuesday, 9.30 p.m. LONDON, March 5. The Canadian Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King) released yesterday an interim report by tbe Royal Commission investigating the ieakage of Government secrets. The report says the evidence reveals tkat the operations wore carried on by certain members of the Soviet Embassy staff in Gttav;a under direct instructions from Moscow. The report declares that Moscow instructed Soviet agents to obtain information abont the transfer of American troops from Europe to the United States and the Pacific; that the agents tried to find ont the location of the headqnarters of a score of American army divisions or corps, as well as those of the American 9th Army, from the Soviet military attache in Canada. Recently Moscov/ radio said that this offieial had been recalled.

Mr. Mackenzie King announced that four oivil servants had com.nanicated, directiy or iudirectly, secret and eon ficlential information to representa cives oi the Soviet in vioiation of the Offieial Secrets Act, 193J. Mr. Mackenzie King identified theia as follow: — Mrs. Emma Woikin, a cipher cler.t in the Department of Extarnai Anaiis, who comniaiiicated to Eussia the con tents oi secret telegrams. CapiMixi Gordon Luxaan, a member of the Canadian Information Service, described as heading the groups oi agents uader the personal dlroction oi Lient.-Culoiiel Eogov, the ass.st-.nt itussian liiiiitary attache at Ottuva. Edward vViifj id Mazerall, an electrical eugineer in the Naaonal Re seareh Comicil working cn radar. (Mazeraii was a member of Captain Eaman's gronp, who furiiishea two cov.ncii reports on certain aevedopinent;; of radar.) Kathiccii Mary Willshsr, who was empioyed at the British High Commissionei's Oiiice as deputy- ve gi s fcrar and who had access to practicany ail the secret. dociuuents in the oiiice, and who made disclosuies therefrom. INFORMATION IMPOSTANT The interim report of the I.oyaCohuuission luvesfcigatiiig tne csp.o^age said that the eviuence uidic.i.ca cnat niany other agents wcae actire and that the information \-vas iii^_ii:-.-.iUiy moie important thau nad umclosed. bnt tne Connnission was h>--c yet in a position to leport on tms ..s u.e evidence was not fuily cevelOj.eci. Tne report expiameu tiiuc .ua iou persons were nanied be.aniue tne .ine„tigatiojt iuto their part 111 thj ,.xV an., had been concluded. The report macie no loioiouvc to the charges wrncii nugjit Le- l.iid against ihe iour aamou ann did not refer to the i?iua ecncx pursoiis wuo ware taken ihfo ciato.ly fihce .:n nivestigation wi-.» iii&c an lwudiced ;ii Eeoruary 15. The report said xuat the evidence! Ctjl.l' 'liuiitU tilat a IiVt Oa cover agents *nad bceu Oig,.n.soa mu, , cleveiopcri i'or the pnrp..se o. onaa.u0 secret and cuiifidentiai in. uiU-mixoii, particuiiuvy from Goveriime.a t , ees and tiro empioyees of nc .n,ua liigh Coiiiiaissioner. These operations, the report said, weio caraeil 011 under dirccc .ai.uc ! tions from Moscow by certuiu 1.. r. i oi' tne Eoviet Embassy stafi at btwwu, and Colonel Zabotin, the kanui! j Atidcne, v. as directiy in ohai or tinui. He had, as his direct ;.h..t;;na>, LxC •t.-Colonei niotinov, Cinci rt. ..rSuaiu Mn.t.uy Attache, Eieat.-iooio.-vi -ayv, Assihtarit rvxiiitary Attache ror .a', Major .nokolovjiie, the Emba.oy s tan tary Ecmefcary, and otiier mmaoer.s oi the :...iiv iry staii all of whom, ra piusuaiice of their activities, Htts by t .i.i rvovcr uames. •MmNGTII OE TIME 117 T-.IE ISi ET." ' VVe noticed that each doss'er compiln) by ihe military attache :-> s.a.i re-gaiu-ag ihe Canadian agents tudl.vaiea ti.. v :r hcant tiuestion, 'len^cn tna in ,ne nct ," tne st.vtenifcaC t.aUoa " . m.i5K the v/ord -iiet v.-ei. ues riv tne organisation estaods..e.i b„ ,ui(l ins predecessor. " . i: L oan.h.isioners saaa tncy cxamui ?i j,v a taozchs.0, a cipher civ.rk or tiie ur-:.r a attaciie, who aoscrio^a uns u. go.. .... a .a aua ics lunotvJimig aua jro tf'.f.o ; orminal doaune...s, W; «d a..n i-i v . -ji which tney ac-epted. a.. I'.p.jit said the aociuaeuts p.o ' ( , y uozeiiKo showed that /ranona .- ngust received telegrams iro.a ' l Hector" at Moscow tuiair c« . a:...e, "%rant". Those teiefarams • .1 the ioilowing tasns to v ■- . .! l: i. fechnological processes anci . empioyed by the British and ■ ma ior the production of exi>~ • . » • . and chemical materiais. - vii.-tJL'iictions as to which members Oi .. should contact partzcular 11 agents, and also suggested the i' persons in the Depurtnitnt oi - { f .i ueience for Navai Aix'airs who n>. 1*' ct as agents. -ii itructious to obtain particulars c. i m materiais of which the atomjc r.as cornposed, r its technologicai •ji and drawings. 'i'.ie report said the telegrams also : i'tcd Sabotin to obtain information . • 'mg tlie transfer of A'morican ,j, the Pacific and other data on nniit.sry luoves of specific divisions. RADAR DEVELOPMENT. | Th ■ telegraxns also instructed Zabotin to •di'ipn information of the location of ■ pi'i irfihte troops and plans for their! i tie use, and to obtain from thej Ahn.i ou.ii Research Council models of , ;loped radar sets, photographs ofj hiiical data and periodic reports on j i-.d-.ii- developments. Zabotin was toki ! to manoeuvre to discover aiore details t i the Research Council organisation. j "C'rt to their lead'ers and fin .l cut Chat1 tL«y (io," he was told. ile was. also instructed to dbtain fb'm'njtmts ?rom the council library, so t'ney snight be photographed with tiai f.xpress intention ultimatsly of ob-

caining the whole Research Councii nmai j , and also to obtain particulars of tne piant at Ohalk River, vjntario, and uia.iium processing. He was also to obtam a Stu„pie oi uranium and details where it was produced, and aiso oiitain specincations of the electro projector of the V-bonib. Ihe report said Moscow had directed all agents to oiitain during the period of March to August, 1945, a iist of Canadian Army divisions returned from overseas, the names and nunibers of divisions divided or reshaped. Moscow aiso sought inforniatvon about the nuni ber of troops in the postwar Canadian Army with its system of organisation, information regarding electronic shells u:;ed by the American Navy and in 1 formation about dspth bombs and clouble-eharge shells for cannon. The Commissioners said that fitfther interim reports would deai more fully with the evidence and the findings rerarding the four persons named, each .f who.11 had given evidence before the Oommission and admitted tlie substance if the specific actions alleged. The four persons named appeared in rhe Magistrate's Court cliarged with conspiring to provide secret and confiJe.itial information to the Soviet. Emma Woikin pleaded guilty, v/hile ihe oEers did not plearl, A1] were re manded. All four are Canadian-born.