Reporter’s Apology To Spy Tribunal

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30038, 24 January 1963, Page 20

Reporter’s Apology To Spy Tribunal

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, January 22. A London journalist today apologised for telling the Radcliffe tribunal yesterday that Britain’s Attorney-General (Sir John Hobson) had offered to “do a deal” with him regarding his sources of information.

Mr Roy East a crime reporter for the Sunday newspaper, the •’People," said he had “got the wrong end of the stick” in an interpretation of a conversation with a British Treasury solicitor. He withdrew none of his major evidence, but apologised for giving the wrong impression with regard to the Attorney-General. The apology was accepted by the tribunal. Today was the seventh public session of the tribunal, which wag set up by the British Government to investigate naval security after an Admiralty cleric, William John Vassal!, was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union last year The tribunal, under Lord Radcliffe, has held 26 sessions in camera. After Mr East’s apology was heard, a free-lance journalist for the "Sunday Telegraph,” Mr Cecil Catling, testified about the origins of a story he had filed for the newspaper alleging that at least two more spies were known to exist after the conviction of the “Lonsdale” spy ring in London in 1961. [Gordon Lonsdale, a Russian spy, and two Admiralty clerks and a married couple were all gaoled tor a total of 95 years in March, 1961, after being found guilty of stealing secrets from the Admiralty] In his testimony today. Mr Catling said he had met a Bulgarian spy named "Nimmo” at a party before the Lonsdale case. He subsequently had see’.: this man in several public houses near the Admiralty where most British Government offices are located. He said he had seen ‘‘Kimmo” talking to people he thought would have been junior civil servants. He told the tribunal that during his conversation with “Nimmo” at the party, the

Bulgarian had tried to find out about the workings of Scotland Yard, London's famous police headquarters. Mr Catling is a crime reporter, and has been accredited to Scotland Yard for 16 years. He testified that it was his knowledge of this man, whom he believed to be a spy, plus remarks made by a Scotland Yard Special Branch (Secret Service) officer at the conclusion of the Lonsdale case, which led him to believe two more spies were still operating in Whitehall