AUSTRALIANS ON GUARD AGAINST COMMUNIST SPIES

Northern Advocate, 8 March 1947, Page 7

AUSTRALIANS ON GUARD AGAINST COMMUNIST SPIES

CANBERRA, March 7,

REVELATIONS of the extent of Australia’s mobilisation against espionage, with particular reference to guarding the tests of rocket-propelled weapons of the atomic variety, were made by the deputy-Prime Minister (Dr H. V. Evatt) in the House of Representatives today. The Commonwealth security service was being strengthened and, in liaison with military intelligence organisations, it would do everything possible to prevent a repetition of the Soviet spy-ring activities which were uncovered by a Royal Commission in Canada.

Extraordinary precautions were being taken to ensure that it would be impossible for a foreign Power to learn rocket secrets or details of associated experiments. Dr Evatt was replying to a demand by Mr J. P. Abbott (Country Party) for a Royal Commission of inquiry into Communist activity in Govern-ment-controlled scientific activities. Mr Abbott said that the public service and agencies were “red anted’’ with Communists. Heading an Opposition move for increased supervision of people who might be in a position to pass on information to foreign Powers, he moved an adjournment of Parliament to ask for adequate precautions against a leakage of secrets.

The issue was whether the Communists were so treacherous that they would hand over defence secrets to a foreign Power. After -Russia came into the war, the Communist Party had assisted the war effort. “There have been serious developments lately in connection with industrial disputes based upon political demands,” continued Dr Evatt “I think that that might reach intolerable proportions , “The Canadian revelations showed that the Communists did contribute to a disastrous result. It shows a need for taking extraordinary precautions against that happening in Australia” Dr Evatt said that a highly-secret document prepared two years ago on Communist organisations showed that Commonwealth overnment departments were alive to the danger “The Russian Legation in Australia is almost as big as all the others put together.” said Mr T. W. White (Liberal).

Stating that he was in complete accord with Mr Abbott on the need for the greatest possible precautions, Dr Evatt said: “It is vital to the defence of Australia and the British Commonwealth that secrets of the projectile experiments in Central Australia should not reach a foreign Power. Atom bomb developments, with their threat of wholesale destruction, had forced the British Commonwealth to undertake scientific defensive experiments. said Dr Evatt. Central Australia had been selected because it was the only part of the Empire which possessed such space. SECRETS TO RUSSIA? Dealing with the Canadian revelations. a report of which was tabled in the House. Dr Evatt said: “The way in which an employee of the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa was treated by other employees of the Embassy after he had handed information to the police showing a ruthlessness, almost desperation, which was very striking. A great warning was involved in this."

“The Comintern still exists, although Russia abolished it during the war in an attempt to mislead: There are still many secret Communists who have been advised not to announce their affiliation.”

FIVE MEN NAMED

In a press interview today the Leader of the Opposition (Mr R. G. Mcnzies) said he thought that the request for a Royal Commission on the Communists was proper. He alleged that there was a link between the Australian and Canadian associations of scientific workers.

, The Canadian association, he said, was founded by some of the 14 Soviet agents named by the Canadian Royal Commission into spy activities. Mr Mcnzies demanded an inquiry into the membership, and particularly the executive, of the Australian association and into the number of Communist employees on the Commonwealth Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Before the debate. Mr Abbott named five men, one of whom, he said, “could play much the same part as Fred Rose played in Canada as right-hand man for the Soviet espionage system.”

He agreed that the possibility of members of a Communist organisation handing over secrets to Soviet Russia could not be overlooked. Security officers had reported that so far nothing untoward had happened, but they agreed with the necessity for redoubling precautions against possible abuse of citizenship.