Secrets Passed To Russians

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31866, 19 December 1968, Page 17

Secrets Passed To Russians

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) ALDERSHOT, Dec. 17. A 20-year-old photoprinter pleaded guilty yesterday to passing secret documents about aircraft and missile research to the Soviet Embassy in Britain. The prosecution said the man, Clive Edwin Bland, took the documents while working at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, which carries out research on aircraft design and construction. The Court later went into closed session to hear the prosecutor, Mr Peter Barnes, describe how Bland passed the documents to the Russians. Bland, charged under the Official Secrets Act, was alleged to have passed on the documents about last September 18. He had then been working for the Royal Aircraft Establishment—which is host to the annual air show

lof British and Foreign I planes—for nearly 18 months las a £l2-a-week assistant in the printing department. “He handled a considerable amount of security material for the purpose of copying it,” Mr Barnes said. Documents Bland was accused of taking included some relating to tests on components of a guided missile. Others concerned one of a 'series of meetings at which secret matters were discussed. Mr Barnes said: “Taking those documents as a whole, the Ministry of Technology, I am instructed, regards disclosure of them as a serious matter. “The communication in this case was made to the Russian Embassy in London. ... “It would not be in the interest of the State for that method of communication to be communicated to the public.” The Court was then cleared and the hearing continued in camera. Britain recently decided to limit the staff of the Soviet Embassy to about 80 after the trial of an airman on spy I charges at which a member i of the Embassy was identified I as a contact.