U.S EMBASSY IN MOSCOW

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27309, 27 March 1954, Page 7

U.S EMBASSY IN MOSCOW

Spying By Staff AHeged

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) MOSCOW, March 25. , A Soviet newspaper yesterday named four members of the United States Embassy in Moscow as “spjes.” They vOere accused of displaying a “suspicious interest” in aerodromes, petrol dumps, and radio stations while on a journey from Moscow to Khabarovsk, the key Siberian junction, close to the borders of Manchuria. The article in “Trud,” the Soviet trade union newspaper, charged the Americans with making notes during their trip, and alleged that “espionage documents” were found on the train in which they travelled. The newspaper named the Americans as Lieutenant-Colonel Howard L. Felchlin, Major Martin D. Manhoff, and Major Walter A. Mackinney, all assistant Army Attaches, and an American staff-sergeant attached to the United States Embassy, Eugean Williams. An American Embassy spokesman said today that the “Trud” article had been seen by the Embassy, but he made no other comment. .He said the foup Americans made a trip to Khabarvosk in the autumn, after the relaxation of Soviet travel restrictions last June, which opened up wide areas for travel which previously had been closed to foreigners. The allegations published under the headline “Abuse of Hospitality,” came from the chief of train No. 4 on the Moscow-Vladivostok route, G. Kharin.

Report by Guard Kharin stated: “The day after the train left Moscow, Mikhail Belousov, a guard, reported that four passengers were behaving in rather a strange manner, and perhaps even suspiciously. “When the train approached the Kotelnichi station, Guard Belousov noticed that one of the passengers was near a corridor window and was making notes in a notebook. When he saw the guard the passenger became somewhat confused, and put the notebook in his pocket. “Guard Belousov looked through the window, and saw that other trains loaded with tractors, timber and coal were passing on the other track. The Americans left the train at Khabarovsk.

“When Guard Belousov cleared up compartment No. 4 he found two sheets of paper with notes in a foreign language.

“A translation has shown that the document was something like a secret service questionnaire, in which the names of towns and railway stations between Moscow and Khabarovsk were enumerated.

“Underneath the names of many of these towns and railway stations was a list of supposed industrial and military objectives.”

Russia is expected today to request the United States State Department to recall the four Americans. This would be in accordance with normal diplomatic procedure, and is a course which has been followed on previous occasions.