PETROV SPY INQUIRY

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27470, 2 October 1954, Page 7

PETROV SPY INQUIRY

Submissions By Counsel (Rec. 9 p.m.) SYDNEY, October 1. An address by Mr J. A. Meagher, who appeared for Fergan O’Sullivan, occupied the attention of the short sitting of the Ro/al Commission on Espionage today. When the hearing resumed the chairman, Mr Justice Owen, announced that the commission proposed to adjourn at the end of today’s proceedings until 2 p.m. next Wednesday.

Opening his address to the commission, Mr Meagher said he proposed to comment on a theory put forward yesterday by Mr Justice Ligertwood about the composition of document J. Mr Meagher said he felt that Mr Justice Ligertwood had fallen into a fallacy of building up a theory which was based on suppositions not supported by the evidence. O’Sullivan’s credibility as a witness was of enormous importance and he had shown, in the witness box, that he was patently truthful. Mr Justice Ligertwood: I have come to the conclusion very firmly that Lockwood wrote and typed the document.

Mr Meagher: I say just as firmly that O’Sullivan had nothing to do with dociiment J. Mr Justice Owen: None of us have any idea that O’Sullivan typed or wrote any part of document J. We have sat here for eight weeks listening to allegations that he ’did, but there is not a tittle of evidence to support it.

Mr Justice Philp: You can leave that right out of your head, Mr Meagher, that O’Sullivan had anything to do with document J. It is absurd. Mr Meagher said that the more grotesque and fantastic the theory became, the more forcibly it was proclaimed.

Mr Windeyer had described document J as a “farrago of facts, falsity and filth.” He (Mr Meagher) could only describe the allegations against O’Sullivan as “a farrago of fantasy, fatuity and futility.” Mr Windeyer told the commission that Lockwood and O’Sullivan were still attending in pursuance of subpoenas and were paid daily witnesses’ expenses. He suggested that they should be released from attendance. The commission adjourned until next Wednesday.