Court Told Alleged Spies Had Naval Secrets

Press, Volume C, Issue 29436, 11 February 1961, Page 13

Court Told Alleged Spies Had Naval Secrets

(Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, February 10. Details of H.M.S. Dreadnought, the Royal Navy’s first nuclear submarine, were found in the possession of one of five persons charged under the Official Secrets Act, the Bow Street Magistrate’s Court was told yesterday.

The accused, three men and two women, were committed for trial at the close of the hearing. They pleaded not guilty and reserved their defence.

They are: Gordon Lonsdale, aged 37, a Landon company director, alleged by the prosecution to be a Russian, although holding a Canadian passport; Peter Kroger, aged SO, a bookseller, and his wife Helen, aged 47. owners of a house in the London suburb of Ruislip. said to be the communications centre and “bank” of a Russian spy ring. They were said to possess both Canadian and Now Zealand passports: Harry Hough-, ton. aged 55, and his fiancee, Ethel Gee, aged 46. civil servants employed by the Admiralty at a top-secret under-

water weapons base at Portland, Dorset. ’

The Director of Underwater Warfare Division at tbe Admiralty, Captain George Symonds, told the Court the) information was on a photograph of a page in a secret book. No evidence was given as to which accused was in possession of the photographs. Captain Symonds said that he had examined enlargements of certain photographs. They included pages from the secret book containing particulars of war vessels and of Admiralty fleet orders and a particular drawing marked S H 5 2 C T.

“They also include details of the naval building programme and details of H.M.S. Dreadnought, the Navy’s first nuclear submarine," he said. The details of the Dreadnought would be of “definite value to a potential enemy." Captain Symonds said the photographs were of the second half of the secret book, from page 181 to page 412. They showed details of other ships as well as the Dreadnought. A large number had already been released to the press, but a number contained details ''which would never be released," and which would be of value to a potential enemy. Answers to a questionnaire allegedly found in Miss Gee’s possession would in the aggregate draw a picture of Britain’s current anti-sub-marine effort and show what Britain was doing in research and development. Certain charts said to have been found in the possession of Houghton would be of value to a potential enemy. He was shown a piece of paper contain.ng the numbers

of certain test pamphlets with the words: "Drawn and keep.” All numbers referred to one particular anti-submarine set. he said. Collectively the pamphlets would be of great value to a potential enemy. Earlier, extracts were read from a letter in Russian to "my beloved Galyusha”—said to have been found in the possession of Mrs Kroger. The prosecution suggested it was from Lonsdale to his wife. The early part of yesterday’s hearing dealt with technical evidence given oy anonymous Secret Service and scientific experts about apparatus used allegedly for espionage. During the afternoon, the hearing was held in camera for 47 minutes Then the Court resumed in public, and the live were later committed In custody for trial to the Old Bailey.

Neither Moscow Radio nor tbe Soviet newspapers have mentioned the spy case bearings in London. British United Press reported from the Soviet capital.