B.B.C. Accused Of Espionage

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31865, 18 December 1968, Page 19

B.B.C. Accused Of Espionage

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) MOSCOW, Dec. 17. ' Russia has accused the British Broadcast- ! ing Corporation of i working hand-in-glove i with the United King- I dom’s secret intelligence service to help to recruit spies for Britain. The Soviet Government newspaper, “Izvestia,” made the accusation in an article by V Lyadov and V. Rozin, who claimed that it had secret documents to prove the connection between the 8.8. C. and British Intelligence. “Izvestia” did not say how or where it got the documents, but claimed one showed that the 8.8.C.’s Berlin office was used as a meeting place by British agents and their contacts. The article went far be-

yond the normal Soviet accusation that the 8.8. C. broadcasts hostile propaganda. According to the British Embassy in Moscow, 8.8. C. broadcasts in Russian have been jammed since August 20, when Soviet troops invaded Czechoslovakia. “Izvestia” said contacts between the 8.8. C. and British Intelligence were made through a special section called “Prop-2,” which dealt with everything except military planning. The 8.8.C.’s services to intelligence agents included playing specified tunes over the air so that men recruiting spies in Eastern Europe could prove they were genuine British agents, who had power even over the 8.8. C., “Izvestia” said.

“The East European section of the 8.8. C. has the task of maintaining permanent contact with the Secret Service in Britain and the carrying out of direct espionage operations,” it went on. It accused members of the 8.8.C.’s Russian-service staff, including the commentator, Anatole Goldber, of preparing special signals for field agents.

“They are direct participants in all ideological and other diversionary actions carried out by British Intelligence against the Soviet Union and the countries of the Socialist Commonwealth,” added “Izvestia.”

A spokesman for the 8.8. C. said last night: “This is another in a series of attacks on the 8.8. C. since August 20, the date of the invasion of Czechoslovakia.

“This is more imaginative than most, highly ingenious and, of course, quite untrue.” The 8.8. C. reported in its regular news bulletins the claims made in “Izvestia.”