Muldoon reply

Press, 16 August 1980, Page 6

Muldoon reply

Mr Muldoon said last| evening that a campaign by I the Socialist Action League to infiltrate the "Labour Party had begun early ’ this year, reports the Press Association from Auckland. When Mr Molineaux had; found out about the league’s plans he had suggested to him (Mr Muldoon) that Mr Rowling should be told. ■ Mr Muldoon said he had agreed because it was no good filing such information in a drawer. Mr Molineaux had then alerted Mr Rowling. It was obvious that Mr did not know that and was treating comments about the affair as some kind of allegation against the Labour Party. “It was an action of the director of the S.I.S. to warn them to look out for these infiltrators,” said Mr Muldoon. • • ’ . ’•* tc The purpose of the S.t.b. Was not only to find subversion but to combat it. One way . to . do that was expose it. ' ■ - ■ “Any suggestions that Mr Molineaux would resign is just, nonsense: lie is doing a superb job. His exposure of Sofinsky . (the Soviet Ambassador expelled in January) is probably the., most important ■ single result in the .history of the 5.1.5.; . ; ;;Mr Molineaux dismissed Mr- Anderton’s assertion that

the S.I.S. was a political “snopping service” for Mr Muldoon.

The S.I.S. was working in accordance with its guidelines, he said. It had a bipartisan approach and when expedient informed the Leader of the Opposition on matters related to security. Further discussion on the role of the SJ.S. was purely political. *