Russians release spy story after ‘bug’ row

Press, 14 June 1978, Page 8

Russians release spy story after ‘bug’ row

NZPA-Reuter Moscow The Soviet Union has said that a young, blonde, American diplomat was arrested in ! Moscow a year ago while I trying to pass to vials of 'deadly poison and other espionage equipment to a spy who had already poisoned an innocent man to death. The Government newspaper, “Izvestia,” indicated that it was reporting the ins cident, alleged to have taken place in July last year, in retaliation for the arrest on spying charges of two Soviet citizens in the United States.

The diplomat, Martha Peterson, was caught while] depositing such material as] miniature cameras, money, and the poison in a niche at a bridge across the Moscow River, “Izvestia” said. Miss Peterson, a vice-con-sul at the embassy, had diplomatic immunity and was flown home shortly after her arrest, the newspaper said; It charged that the vials .had come from the U.S. Cen-

tral Intelligence Agency and| were intended for a spy who i had already used the samel poison to kill an innocent]j Soviet citizen who got in his]; way. “Izvestia” published ai; photograph showing Miss ] Peterson and a United Stales]] Embassy counsellor, Clifford] Gross, apparently answering: questions from Soviet officials. On the table in front of them were objects described by “Izvestia” as the espionage materials. Mr Gross told the Foreign ' Ministry that Miss Peterson, who had been in Moscow for almost two years, would | fly home on the first plane,. “Izvestia” said. I The newspaper said that! the United States Ambassador to Moscow (Mr Malcolm Toon) was called into the Ministry the next day and] given a protest note saying the United States intelligence services were engaged in espionage on Soviet territory using the embassy for cover and “not

I stopping at using such I means as lethal poisons.” The Soviet protest note i implicated the United States (Embassy first Secretary (Mr (Robert Fulton) and two (State Department officials, Jay Gruener and Sergei Karpovich. From Washington. the United States has admitted that one of its women diplomats in Moscow had been ordered home after allegations that she had engaged in what it called in« appropriate activities. The State Department said Miss Peterson w’as assigned to the commercial and consular sections of the Amen(can Embassy in Moscow ' from October, 1975, until i she was delcared persona non grata in July, 1977. She was detained briefly by the Soviet police and it was alleged that she engaged in inappropriate activities, the State Department said. She was now assigned to Washington and was at . present on leave, it added.