AUSTRALIA MOVES ON SPIES

Chronicle (Levin), 8 March 1947, Page 5

AUSTRALIA MOVES ON SPIES

Press Assn.

TAKiNC -NO CIIANCES IN ROCKET TES1S

By Telegraph

-Copyright

Received Friday, 9.10 p.m. CANBERRA, March 7. Revela.tioiLS of Australials mobilisation against espionage wnth partieular ret'erence to tests of rocket propelled weapons of the atomie variety, were nfade by the deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Fvatt, in t-Jie ilonse of Representatives today. lle declared that tlie ( 'onimonwealth secur.ty service was being strengthened and that, in iiaison witli military intelligence, it woidd do everything possible to prevent a repetition of the Soviet s])y ring acLvities Yvlich were uneovered by the Royal (Jommissipn in Fanada. Extraordinary precautions were being taken to ensure that it would be inipossible for a foreign power to learn rocket secrets or details of the associated experiments. Di*. Evatt was replving to a demand by Mr. Abbott, Country Party, for a Royal Commission of iiKjuii'y into (Jommunist aetivity in (iovernment controlled scientihc.activities. Mr. Abbott charged that public service and (lovei'nment scientific agencies. were."redanted" with Communists. Ileadihg an Op])osition move for inreased supei'vision of people who might be m a position to pass on , information to Fgrcign powers, he moved an adjournment of Parliament to ask for adequate precautions against a leakage of secrets. Declaring that he was in complete accord With !Mr. Abbott on the need for the greatest possible precautions, Dr. Evatt said: "It is vital to the defence of Australia and British Commonwealth that the secrets of th'e projectile experiments in Central Australia should not reaeh a foreign power. Jn taking precautions we are not offering aggression to anyone. Tt is a defensive measure and we do not apologise to anyone for it." Atomie bomb developments, with their threat of wholesale destruction, had foreed the British Commonwealth to undertake scientific defensive experiments, he said.

Dr. Evatt said Central Australia had been selected because it was the only part of the Empire wliich possessed such space. Dealing with the Canadian revelations, a rcport of which was tabled in the House, Dr. Evatt said: "The way an employee of tlie Soviet Embassy in Ottawa was treated by other emplovees of tlie Embassy after he lianded i'nformation to the police, showed ruthlessness and almost desperation which was very striking. A great warning was involved in this." He agreed that the possibilitv of members of a Uomniunist organisation handing over secrets to Soviet Russia could not be overlooked. Sec.urity officers had reported that so far nothing untoward had liappened, but they agreed with the necessity of redoubling precautions against the possible abuse of citizenship. The security service would be strengthened and the law respecting official secrets tightened up. The issue was whether the Communists were so treacherous that they would hand over defence secrets to a foreign Power. After Russia eame into the war the Comniunist partv assisted the war effort. Mr. Spender: "Not because they were assisting Russia. " Dr. Evatt: "There have been serious developments lately in connection with industrial disputes based upon political demands. I think that might reaeh intolerable proportions. The Canadian relevations showed that tlie Communists did eontribute to the disastrous result. "It shows the need for Jaking extraordinary precautions' against that happening in Australia." x He did not answer a specific demand

for a Royal Commission inquiry but said tliat a higlily secret document pre pared two years ago 011 the Comniunist organisations showed tliat Common vvealth departments were alive to tlie danger. There would be no improper interferenee with tlie liberties of tlie people. "Tlie Russian Legation in Australia is almost as big as' all the otliers put togetlier, " said Air. T. W. Wliite (Liberal.) It is possiiile that they are doing perfectly pacific work but il is up to tlie Government to find out. -Tlie Comjntern still exists tliougb Russia abolislied it during the war in an attempt to mislead. There are still niany secret Communists who liave been advised not to aiinounee their affiliation." I11 a press interview today Mr. Menzies said he thought that the request for a Royal Commission on Communists was proper. He alleged that there was a link between- -the Australian and Canadian assoeiations of scientihe workers. The Canadian association, he said, was founded by some of the 14 Soviet agents named by the Canadian Royal Commission into spy ac-tivities. Mr. Alenzies demanded an inquiry into personnel and particularly the executive of tlie Australian association and into the number. of Communist employees of the Commonwealth Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Before the debate Air. Abbott named five men, oue of whom he said "coilld play much the same part as Fred Rose, AI.P., played in Canada as the right hand man for the Soviet espionage system," ...