Agee, Hosenball lose fight to stay in U.K.

Press, 18 February 1977, Page 5

Agee, Hosenball lose fight to stay in U.K.

NZPA-Reuter London Two American writers, Philip Agee and Mark Hosenball, have lost their fight to stay in Britain, and have been ordered out of the country, the Home Secretary (Mr Merlyn Rees) has announced. There was uproar in Parliament when Mr Rees said that he was standing by his original decision to deport the two men on security grounds. Mr Agee, aged 41, a former United States Central Intelligence Agency [officer, and Mr Ho-1 | senball, a 25-year-old journalist, had been allowed to stay after the deportation orders 'were served last November, pending appeals to a tribunal sitting in secret. Mr Rees said that thev would normally be deported to their own country, the United States, but he was prepared to consider another country of their choice if they could show by the beginning,

11 of March that it would accept them. , i The main allegations • against Mr Agee were that he > I had maintained contacts with i (foreign agents and dissemin- , ated information harmful to I British security. I Mr Hosenball, now ern- • ployed by the London “EvenI ing Standard,” previously > worked for “Time Out” maga- ! [ zine. He was said by the Home ■ Office to have obtained for ■ publication information harmiful to British security. ! No specific details have • been given about the allegations against the men. : [ The men’s supporters, the , Hosenball-Agee Defence Comlimittee, have appealed to all I workers in transport industries who may be asked to I [carry the Americans out of ■ I the country to refuse to do ■ so. They also called for piciket lines outside the Home 'Office and announced a rally ; in London.