Girl Accused Of Clandestine Meeting With Russian

Chronicle (Levin), 7 March 1949, Page 5

Girl Accused Of Clandestine Meeting With Russian

W,g.PA,

—Reuter,

, Copyrigbt)

Received Sunday, 7 p.m. WASHINGTON, March 5. Tlie A'ttoroey-Hepefal, Mu Tom Clark, has gnjionnced that a ipember of the Ru§§ian delegation tp United Na.tions and an employee of the American Justice Departpient, have been arrested in New York for steaiing^ 'Government records. They are - identilied as Miss Judith Coplon, a 27-yeai'i-old employee of the Department of Jugtice, and Valeptine Gubitchev, a 32-year-ohl Russian. They were charged with conspiracy tp commit an offence against the United States pertaining to the renioval of Government records and deI'rauding the United Btates of the services of Miss Coplon, An investigation by the following the Federal employee loyalty progranime, bared clandestine meetings between the pair. Gubitchev is deseribed as third secretary of the U.S.S.R. Secretariat of United Nation?, assigned to the New York office. Mr. Clarlc said Miss Coplon Ipfi Washington on Friday afternoon and was followed by F.B.I. agents who reported: "She observed extreme caution lrom the moment she arrived in New York City until her contact with & United Nations' Russian employee." When they were arrested at a streei corner it was found Miss Coplpn hao coneealed in her purse, a liat. package containing type-written summaries of inf ormation taken from coniidentia i documents involving security data and restricted information. Mr. Clark said ihe information had been planted and was of no major value. It is iearned that MisS Coplon had been employed in the Departmenl of .Justice since she graduated from Bernard College in 1944. A spokesman for United Nations said the question of immunity may arise in Gubitchev s case. He said Congress, although authorising United Nations' headquarters to be recognised as an International Zone, had not passed an immunity agreement protecting United Natjions emplo'yees from arrest under American laws. The spokesman said Gubitchev came to the United Btates from .Russia in 1946 and had been working as an engineer in the New York headquartei = of the planning. office.