1934-06-02 — Page 7

PICTORIAL SUPPLEMENT

STRANGE STORIES OF

MODERN SPY TRIALS

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 1034.

PAGE THREE

METROPOLITAN-VICKERS

English ambasander to Russin was summoned home for a conference. RUSSIANS ARRESTED.

Meantime in Russia, the Eng-

BY MILTON. BRONNER A mysterious menace had hung for days over the household of Allan Monkhouse, director of the British Metropolitan-Vickers Elec- trical Company in Russia. Theshmon were questioned intensive- native servants realized it, whether ly for many hours and all except. their employer dild or not.

MacDonald were rolensed on bail. Such was the international com- First of all, the Russian house motion at this time, that many keeper had strangely disappeared doubted the caso would ever como without warning. Moreover, "shoto trial. However, the Oppu had had not come back. Followed, un-gone too far in their zeal to allow explainable nocturnal rustlings of a graceful withdrawal, for they and rappings in the house at Po-had arrested twelve Russians, ono levko, not for from Moscow, woman and eleven men, in con- strangers lurking about, asking nection with the case and charged odd questions.

them also with sabotage and with taking bribes. The woman had served as secretary, to the Metro- had been employed as workers. politan-Vickers company, the men

Finally, na Monkhouse and three friends ent one evening last March over their coffee and liqueurs, twenty representatives of the Ogpa, dreaded Russian police, arrived with search warrants. Pushing past the terrifled ser- vants, the officers entered the house bureaus, closets and desks, ending by ripping open all the mattresses In an enger search for documenta which apparently they did not find,

GREAT CONSEQUENCES.

However, that was only the first round. Next came the arrest of six members of the Metropolitan- Vickers ataff, including Director Monkhouse. The othern

were

What made the outlook espe clally for from cheery was that only a short time before, a number of Russians convicted of sabotage

had been shot. All added com- plication was that one of the Brit- ons was being held without bafl. Au uneasy conviction began to grow up in England that there was something else behind the stated charges, that the Ogpu had been searching for documents, of great- er consequence than had been ad- mitted,

SABOTAGE CHARGED.

It

Leslie Charles Thornton, John

Even at that, the Indictment was Cushny, Charles Nordwall, William Gregory and William Lionel Mine-long and detailed enough. Donald. All were taken to Lu- alleged that recurrent breakdowns blanka Prison and varied charges in many of the big electrical which Included sabotage. the power stations at. Moscow, Zlat- giving of bribes, and military and oust, Zuevka and other places had economic espionage were lodged been the result of planned wreck- against them.

Ing netivities, designed to put the power stations and the state factories dependent upon them out of business. And it accused the staff of the Metropolitan-Vickers company of having planned and carried forward these activities.

That was the beginning of an alleged spy case that at one time threatened to wreck forever the trado and diplomatic relations be tween Great Britain and Russin and to affect unfavourably Russia's standing with other nations, nota- bly the United States.

The Indictment also asserted that the company, through its em- When news of the arrests renck-ployees, hand gathered secret in- ed England, the country instantly formation to the detriment of the went wild with indignation. The state and had bribed corrupted London press waited to hear none Russians to gather such informa-

DRAMATIC COURT SCENE.

of the details. Streamers and tion. All this of course, was banner-linea immediately pro- classed as counter-revolutionary claimed that the Britishers were behaviour and therefore a serious innocent, that they had been cut-offence against the Soviets. rageously framed by the Soviets.

The British Foreign Office spoke sternly to the Soviet ambassador. The House of Commons gavo over the regular business of the day to allow impassioned denunciations of "unjustified charges." Tho

1.

Came the trial on April 12, 1938. October Hall in Moscow, now where gallant nobles and ladies in courtroom, was once a ballroom

tiaras and low-cut gowns danced

CASE:

THORNTON'S

Now Russia's proud machines

mysioriously crippled.

CONFESSION

and Alried together. For this oc- "All my life I have been making casion it was filled with inbourers things. I never destroyed any!". in working clothes standing or sit- ting on rude wooden forms, their BRITONS DENOUNCED.

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*

bob-nalled bouts scraping the once

satin-smooth dance floors, Two of

of

10

Monkhouse, thin-faced, with

the Ogpu i uniform with rifles tired gray eyes, declared that he, and fixed bayonota guarded the too, had from time to time picked prisoners in tho dock. Judge up Information pertinent to his Vassili Ulrich, in a business suit, business interests which ho had presided over the Judges rostrum, passed on to London headquarters, covered with red felt. The flory but he insisted that this sort of Professor Vishinsky, chief orator nows gathering was legitimate Russla that does not lack ara and practiced by all commercial

Each de concerns., tors, was prosecuting. fendant had both a Russian and an Gregory was even moro emphat English lawyer to defend him. ic than Thornton about his own In addition, it was understood that constructive tendencies. He said according to Soviet custom, hehe had personally Installed every would have a chance to plead his part of one special job, working own care in, court.

day and night, and had established It had been assumed, at least inn record by finishing three hugo: England, that all six defendants switches in forty-eight days.

The issue finally seemed to boll would plead not guilty. MacDoniteclf down to a question of wheth ald, who was crippled, limped to

guilty The other five Eng. ing.

lowed

Wax. con-

the fore, bowed his head and plendedor Information gathering for the The twelve Russians fol- usages of business constitutes spy-

llshmen pleaded not guilty. Each of Vishinsky evidently thought it them except Gregory at one time did. Summing up. In I speech or another in the trial

that lasted for hours, ho asked fronted with Russians who claim death for the Russians and assort- ed elther to have takon bribes ed the Britons deserved death but from him for furnishing informa would probably be shown mercy by tion or to have performed wreck a Russian court, because they were ing operations at his direction.

of another land. He addressed Thornton with especial bitterness, telling him that his only use in Russia now "would be to manure, the soil of our Boviot fields."

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CONFESSION REPUDIATED.

Thornton, who was supposed to have signed a confession of guilt before the trial, now repudiated

his deposition. He claimed he had been exalted when he signed it. He did admit, though, that he had obtained information about the equipment of various electrical | plants in Russia, about the living conditions of the people and so on but said it was only for the use of his company. He also denied that he had given money na a bribe, asserting that he had sometimes loaned ft.

THE RESULT.

The judges, after a prolonged session with the documents behind locked doors, sentenced the twelve Russians to prison for torma of from one to ten years, ordered Monkhouse, Nordwall and Cushny deported from Russia, acquitted Gregory, whose self-avowed zent for machinery had seemingly im- pressed them, sentenced Thornton to prison for three years and Muc- Yet the court had, in what he Donald for two. admitted was his own writing, a As soon as the verdict was an- document which read in part; "All | nounced, the British Government our spying operations on U. S. R. instituted an embargo on eighty B. territory are directed by the per cent of Russian goods aljow- British Intelligence Service, ed into the country. Russin count through their agent C. 8. Richards, ered with a similar embargo, who occupies the position of man- few months later, a conference. aging director of the Metropolitan | between M. Litvinoff, Russian Vickers Electrical Export Com | Commissar for Foreign Affairs, pany Limited."

and Sir John Simon, British Sec- This statement was followed by retary for Foreign Affairs, result- a list of names of those who wore ed in a compromise___agreement.” alleged to have acted

MacDonald and as spics. By its terms. Thornton, denying all, especially Thornton were freed on July 1, and the accusation that he had destroy. England raised its embargo on ed anything, cried in a loud voice: Russian goods.

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