A FRAME-UP

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 508, 17 April 1933, Page 5

A FRAME-UP

MONKHOUSE CAUSES STIR Rec. April 16, 6.35 p.m. Moscow, April 15. i There was a remarkable scene at 1 the opening of the court, when MonkI house jumped up and said he wanted i to make a declaration. The judge stopped him while he was protesting | against being cross-examined for 18 hours. i Monkhouse said the trial was a j frame-up. The whole proceedings : were disorganised and all messages • were stopped until the official stenoi graphers supplied the exact words. j The press men were unable to re- ! strain their excitement, and hectically J dashed to and fro. | Monkhouse's outburst perceptibly I brightened the Embassy personnel. The conrt resnmed after 20 minutes. I Krsashetnimikov, the head engineer for the Moscow electric station, | accused of belonging to the so-called j Moscow sabotage group, gave evidI ence that he received only 500 roubI les from the Vickers, but had been i promised more. j Zorin, engineer in the Moscow I Power Department, declared that j Thornton led him into sabotage, giv- ; ing him 1000 roubles, and asked him j to conceal defects and supply secret 1 information. ; Vishinsky, referring to Thornton's | repeated denials and excuses, sneerj ingly remarked, "I suppose you deny i that, Thornton." : Thornton shrugged his shoulders I and nodded his head. I Cuhsny, a burly South African, who ' served in the Air Force in war time, ! gave evidence that he worked in the Don Basin and then at Baku, where ' he had 200 friends. He gave some ! needy assistance and lent others ! money, which had been returned. He ' denied any connection with the break ! down of the turbines at Baku, which ' was due to Russian carelessness in al- , lowing water to enter. Oleinik, who had been employed with the Vickers firm in Russia and England for 20 years, declared he ■ was associated with Nordwall, in sabotage in the Don Basin, where he ! spied in military matters. He believ- ! ed Thornton and Nordwall were work- | ing for another organisation. j Thornton interjected: "He is lyi ing." , Thornton entered the witness box : and spoke with increasing self con1 fnlence. He said he had joined the Vickers firm after demobilisation. He went to London annually to give information regarding the work. He used many methods to obtain business information. He never spied, but admitted break downs at Zoevka, Baku, ! Cheliaginsk and Moscow, none of which was serious. Vishinsky, interrupting, began to read depositions. Thornton sharply interjected, "I retracted all that. They (iuestioned me on Mareh 12 until I was exhausted. I was also questioned on the four following days. I signed under pressure. It was suggested that if I confessed it would be all right, but if I did not, I should be useless to the Soviet or to England. I was so tired and brow-beaten I signed depositions dictated in Russian. I was

not tortured." Vishinsky: Which - Englishman in Moscow told you to tell that lie?" Thornton: No one. Vishinsky: I know whom. Thornton added: In this court I deny sabotage. I always did my work well . Madame Kutosova, marcelled, manicured, powdered and rouged, stood in the witness box and answered in monosyllables leading questions con-, lirming depositions, admitting bribes which were not entered in the Vickers books, but in Thornton's diary, which he sent to England in December. Shukhovichkin, Crasashet, Nimikov, and Zorin stood in union and gave corroborative evidence. Thornton then sprang to his feet saying:' "I deny that." Madame Kutosova added that she first noticed the activities of Thornton and MacDonald in 1930, but was powerless as she had given her word for silence. "I am ignorant of the details of sabotage, and only heard conversations." The court adjourned and expects to finish on April 18. Vishinsky denied Thornton and ! Monkhouse's allegations that undue pressure had been used when they were questioned in the Lubianko pri- ' son. 4