TRIAL OF BELGIAN CLERGYMEN—BRITAIN DENIES SPY CHARGE

Grey River Argus, 23 February 1949, Page 5

TRIAL OF BELGIAN CLERGYMEN—BRITAIN DENIES SPY CHARGE

LONDON, February 21. . A British Foreign Office spokesman refuted the statement which the Rev Vassil Ziakov, one of the 15 Bulgarian Non-conformist Church leaders charged with espionage, that he acted as a spy for Britain. The spokesman added that a report from the British Legation in Sofia said that an investigation into the charges of improper communication betkeen Rev Ziapkov and members of the British Legation had proved them baseless. The charges seemed to be a further step in the attempt to isolate members of the British missions in the Iron Curtain countries from contact with the peoples of those countries. The Minister of State, Mr Hector McNeil, told the House of Commons to-day that Britain has asked tor special representation at the trial of 15 Bulgarian pastors.