PLEA ALTERED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21467, 15 April 1933, Page 9

PLEA ALTERED

I BRITISH ENGINEER I SOVIET TRIAL SENSATION ADJIISSION OP GUILT DETRACTION LATEK -MacDONALD'S ACTIONS By Telecriph—Press Association—Copyright (heceived 'April 14. 5.5 p.in.) MOSCOW. April 13 'At, flip opening of the trial of tho Metropolitan Vickers Company's engineers on charges of sabotage and espionage, one of the accused, W. H. Mac Donald, pleaded guilty. The other five British employees of the company/ pleaded not guilty. All hut one of tho 12 Russians accused pleaded guilty. Entering tho Court without greeting his comrades, MacPonnld, bearded, hollow-eyed and haggard, stood up in the dock and pleaded guilty in the Russian phrase: "I recognise." One of the Russian prisoners, Gusev, head or the electrical station, secured tho entire attention of tho Court when ho said: "I started counter-revolution-ary work when 1 met the Metropolitan Vickers employees. Mac Donald / suggested that I should supply information about the plant that was very valuable in a military sense." Act of Sabotage Admitted In reply toihe Prosecutor, M. Vishinpky, Mac Donald admitted that he and Gusev were friends in 1930, and added that he sought information in his own interest. Gusev, answering M. Vishinsky's staccato queries, confessed to wrecking machinery and obtaining secret infor- . mation. He declared that Mac Donald co-operated with him in placing metal in the machinery at Zlatoust. "Yes, that is true," answered MacDonald, in reply to M. Vishinsky. Gusev, proceeding, said ho had only 750 roubles a month and Mac Donald gave him more. Mac Donald gave evidence of gifts amounting to 3500 roubles, but declared his ignorance of sabotago in order to slow down the machinery at Zlatoust. Gusev stated that Mac Donald recommended Thornton as a source of information. Mac Donald admitted having written to Gusev about tho firm's business. Evidence of Second Briton / The proceedings became intensely dramatic after the dinner adjournment. Mr. Robert Turner, of the Vickers Company's firm of solicitors, sat with the British attaches. Tho other nine counsel sat elsewhere. < Gusev, aft&r having given evidence for four hours, and trembling with emotion and nervousness, admitted all the accusations against him, and said that Mac Donald lived on a higher scale of life than the other engineers. He added: "If my life is spared I will / reform and become a good Soviet citizen." Another of the accused Britons, W. H. Thornton, in the course of his evidence, admitted meeting Gusev and Mac Donald in a station buffet in the 'TJrals, but said he was not aware thaithere was any espionage. His interest in gathering information was purely commercial. He gave Mac Donald 2000 roubles for the information he gave. Asked why he had admitted his cognisance of espionage on March 15 according to his depositions, Thornton replied that he was nervous, though the "third degree" had not been employed Bad Impression Created Mac Donald's evidence created a bad impression on the Court on account of discrepancies/ Thornton said he had admitted paying for secret information and bribing employees to overlook defects in the Vicker's Company's machinery because he was afraid. Asked why he gave untrue testimony, Thon/ton replied: " Because I had lost my nerve while I was under arrest, and the serious charges made a heavy impression upon me." Asked when his nerve returned Thornton replied emphatically: "On April 4 at 6 o'clock, when I was released from prison." Continuing, lie denied that Mac Donald had given him secret information concerning military plants, aeroplane engines and gun-test-ing grounds. 'Confused by Each Other's Evidence During cross-examination, MacDoniild and Thornton revealed that alleged | testimony of each had been read to j the other. Mac Donald said: "1 was affected by' Thornton's testimony, in which he said lie had used me to collect information. I considered it useless for me to deny it.' Thornton said: "They read me the evidence of Monkhouse and Mac Donald, which affected me very much. Tho question of whose evidence came first was not cleared up. The Court/ adjourned until to-day. All the prisoners left together. I hoy Vere not fatigued, except Mac Donald, whose statements had caused mingled jubilation and apprehension in interested circles. Mac Donald's Careworn Face When the trial was resumed to-day tho Court was half empty, as it was a full working day. -MacDonald's careworn face again contrasted strongly with the confident appearance of the other Brrtons. The first witness was Sokololi, assist-ant-director of the plant at Zlatoust. He said he started sabotage alone in 3927. He met Mac Donald and Gusev in 3930 and became a member of a coun-ter-revolutionary organisation. Mac Donald interrupted, saying: "I did not tell Sokoloff to commit sabotage." 1 The Prosecutor: Why did you say so ' n the indictment? Mac Donald: 1 considered it convenient in the circumstances, and with no translation of niv statement made in niv presence 1 admitted I was guilt.\ yesterday. , , 3 . . And do von say so to-day. .No. 1 actually am not guilty. RUSSIAN NEWSPAPER talk of barbarians MOSCOW. April 12 ..The Soviet official newspaper Izyesa i "referring to the trial of tho British engineers, says: " These barbarians, destroyers of machinery and enemies of technical development, will be tried v '!thout fonr Aif threats, and tho verdict ?'!' bo enforced in spite of protests and baitings." paper describes protests m a "ntish Conservative newspaper as "the ?°ieo of a naive soft-hearted old lady ®lucaling about tho fato of her little •aboteurs and spies." 1