"I AM NOT GUILTY."

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 88, 15 April 1933, Page 7

"I AM NOT GUILTY."

MacDONALD'S STAND.

Startling Developments in

Soviet Trial.

LATER CHANGE IN ATTITUDE,

(United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright)

MOSCOW, April 14.

The denial of guilt by W. H. MacDonald after his previous plea of guilty at the trial of the Vickers engineers caused a profound sensation, in the midst of which the microphones failed and the public in Court could not understand what had happened. The Court was half empty yesterday, as it! was a full working day for the Russian people. MaeDonald's careworn face again contrasted stronglj' with the confident appearance of the other Britons. The firs.t witness was Sokoloff, assist-ant-director of the plant at Zlatoust. He said he started sabotage alone in 1927. He met Mac Donald and Gusev in 1930 and became a member of a coun-ter-revolutionary organisation. Mac Donald interrupted, saying: "I did not tell Sokoloff to commit sabotage." The Prosecutor: Why did you say so in the indictment? Mac Donald: I considered it convenient in the circumstances, and with no translation of my statement made in my presence I admitted I was guilty yesterday. And do you say so to-day? —No. I actually am not guilty. Standing erect Mac Donald denounced in cool, calculated terms the statements contained in the indictment written by his own hand. He denied paying Sokoloff for information but said he paid Gusev and others 2500 roubles for overtime, partly from his own pocket. Cross-examined, Mac Donald said he had admitted systematic wreckage and military espionage and that he had obtained information about guns and aeroplanes. The prosecutor asked why. The reply was: "I was merely personally interested." Conflict of Evidence. There was a further conflict of evidence when Thornton declared he did not know Mac Donald was sabotaging and spying or he would have kicked him out. Mac Donald interjected: "Yes. He knew about spying." Then he limped out of the box in which he had been accommodated with a chair owing to his lameness and exhaustion. Madame Kutosova, secretary to the Vickers Company, contradicted Monkhouse's evidence. , She gave numerous sources whence information was alleged to have been obtained, and declared that Monkhouse and Thornton had secret books and documents, which Thornton took to London. The prosecutor then read Thornton's deposition in which he said: "All our espionage was performed through Richards. Monkhouse and I were under Richards' instructions, and all the British personnel, totalling 28, were engaged in spying." Thornton stated in evidence that he wanted to retract his deposition as untrue. It was written under moral pressure. After a long interrogation he added that the Vickers employees collected only harmless information. Monkhouse in the course of his evidence said: "I am not guilty of any crimes except giving Dolgov 3000 roubles which I regarded as a bribe to advance my firm's interests, Dolgov being a member of the Commission of Experts. Thornton revealed the fact that he was born in Russia and had lived there all his life except when he served in the war for Britain. Contradictory Statements. The luncheon adjournment was followed by a change in MaeDonald's behaviour. He not only admitted the charge of espionage, but stated also that the collective information involved was suggested by Thornton and that he presumed the other V ickers engineers were implicated. Mac Donald also admitted giving instructions for machine wrecking. The prosecutor then examined Thornton in reference to Mac Donald obtaining information about the production of munitions. Thornton said this suggestion was "an absolute lie." Ho also repudiated any part of his previous depositions which admitted "any kind of espionage activities." At this stage, shortly before the Court adjourned, Mac Donald was giving his evidence almost in a state of collapse. Gusev, chief of the Zlatoust plant, one of the Russians accused, who made a complete confession, said Mac Donald asked him to supply information about the production of munitions and also stated that be had, on MaeDonald's instructions, arranged breakdowns, which he described at length. He also said Mac Donald had paid him 3000 roubles for this work. Gusev said that Thornton had paid two visits to Zlatoust after MaeDonald's departure from there. Gusev continued to maintain communication with him. Evidence Shaken. Gusev alleged that Thornton knew what was taking place between him and Mac Donald. Gusev declared he was now telling all the truth. He was cross-examined by MaeDonald's counsel, who somewhat shook his statements regarding the money he had received from Thornton. Gusev said he received it to share with Vitvitski. Thereupon counsel made Gusev admit that Mac Donald did not know Vitvitski, and put to him the consequent inprobability of Mac Donald intending the money for the latter. Thornton denied absolutely knowing anything of Vitvitski's alleged wrecking work.