Death claim denied

Press, 7 June 1980, Page 9

Death claim denied

NZPA London The self-confessed traitor, Anthony Blunt, yesterday denied allegations that his spying for the Soviet Union may have led to the deaths of many men. '. Andrew Boyle, whose book led to Mr Blunt’s public ex.posure, alleged the information passed to the Russians "probably caused the death Jpfa number of Polish, Czech ,and ■ even German Communists.” : : "I can only repeat what I have already said several times, namely that I never received—and so could not have passed on—any information which could have led to the deaths of individuals, whether Communists or not, whether British or Allied nationals or agents of the Allied cause,” Mr Blunt said. “Anyone who understood the difference between MIS on the one hand and MIS on the other would know that such information would not normally come to Ml 5, which was solely , concerned With counter-espionage in this

country, and certainly none reached me.” Mr Blunt made no mention of other allegations made in the extended version of Mr Boyle’s book “The Climate of Treason.” He alleges that three traitors discovered at the same time were allowed to continue their careers and reached high public office. In all, Mr Boyle believes he

has uncovered the identity of 25 Soviet spies who worked for MIS. A peer, two knights, and a score of other people were free in Britain although security agents knew they once were Soviet spies Mr Boyle said. “I can think of a number of them who have gone on to eminence in an honorific way. They are still around, although probably not working.” Their worth to the Russians now would be negligible. They would be regarded as “extinct volcanoes.” Mr Boyle was launching a paperback edition of his book about the Burgess-Maclean-Philby spy chain. When first published last November, the book dropped clues bn other members of the netw’ork and led to Mr Blunt’s unmasking and public disgrace. As a result he was stripped of his knighthood. "Friendship is something sacred to Blunt, and I believe some of his friends are still at large,” Mr Boyle said.