MOSCOW TRIAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21468, 17 April 1933, Page 9

MOSCOW TRIAL

ACCUSED BRITONS SOVIET NET TIGHTENING AMAZING EVIDENCE EUSSIANS' STORIES SABOTAGE CONFESSED By ToVewnh—Pro. A.soci.tion-Copjrisht (Received April 16, 5.5 p.m.) / MOSCOW. April 15 When the trial of the Vickers employees was resumed yesterday—Good Friday not being recognised as a holiday in Sonet Russia—the Judges decided that, notwithstanding Mac Donald's later withdrawal, his original plea of guilty still held good. Dolgov, a middle-aged Russian, controller of the electrical inspection department, gave evidence. Ho said that Thornton, on Devembcr 7, 1932, gave him a hribe of 3000 roubles. "Thornton opened a drawer exposing money," witness said. " The blood rushed to my eyes and /I then decided to take the money, but the same day I informed the authorities and handed the money to the procurator." Thornton was questioned and admitted, that he gave Dolgov the money but insisted that- it was only as a loan in response to Dolgov's entreaties, as the man said ho wanted to buy a flat. " I categorically deny that it was in any way/ a bribe," declared Thornton. Dolgov admitted that Thornton had not askeci to perform any service for the money. " I understood," he said, " that I was expected to conceal defects founi2 in Vickers' machinerv. Nobody else employed by the Vickers Company ever ofFered me money." Alleged Payment for Sabotage A dull-witted young man named Kotliarevskv, head of tho turbine department at the Zuevka electricity works, declared that his " downfall " began with tho arrival of Mac Donald, who requested him to conceal defects in oil pumps and remain late at the works in order to throw scrap iron, nails and stones into the generators. Allan Monkhouse intervened, explaining that the Moscow office of Metropolitan Vickers ordered the replacement of the parts from London to enable the defects in question immediately to be remedied. The prosecution retorted that the parts were ordered only after a Russian commission of experts had commenced inquiries. Bolt in a Generator The witness Kotliarevsky declared that he received 1000 roubles from MacDonakV for throwing a bolt into a generator. Mac Donald, when questioned, admitted that he knew Kotliarevsky wrecked the generator. Monkhouse declared that the bolt was missing from the generator casing and suggested that it had fallen and was not' thrown into the motor. Another of the accused Russians, Sukhorutchkin, declared that he sabotaged two turbines affecting Moscow's electricity supply by Thornton's orders. The Court adjourned at 10 p.m. GIBES AT BRITAIN SOVIET NEWSPAPERS ACCUSED PRE-JUDGED MOSCOW. April 14 ! The Pravda, in an editorial article Written as though the trial were practically over, brands the British White Papers as " official lies," and claims that the accused men's guilt is beyond question. " The British spies were caught redhanded," the article states, " and they ] can now merely lie unintelligibly. It j was not for nothing that Britain j feared an open trial." Izvestia says: " The Good Friday i broadcast of prayers in Britain will not : help the accused. The only phase of the j Easter story applicable to the case is j that of Judas and his 30 pieces of silver." VICKERS COMPANY CONFIDENCE IN ACCUSED MR. RICHARDS EXONERATED (Received April 16, 7.5 p.m.) LONDON, April 15 The directors of tho Metropolitan , Vickers Company unanimously passed a I resolution of sympathy with the accused, j emphasising their complete con fid- j ence in their integrity and loyalty. The j board aiso elected Mr. C. T. Richards, j who was in charge of the firm's inter-, ests in .Russia, to the post of director as an indication of its confidence in his conduct of their Russian business. The Foreign Secretary, Sir John Simon, has issued the following statewent supplementing that made by him in the House of Commons on Thursday: " Mr. Richards, who has been referred to in the Moscow trial, has never been an agent of the British Secret Service. He served in the British Army from May, 1918, to November, 1919, as lieutenant and captain and was posted at Archangel as an ordinary officer. " It is true that there he acted us an Army intelligence officer on general service during those operations, but he has had no connection whatever with any branch of the British service for the last 14 years." PRESIDENT OF COURT FORMER SPYING CHARGE UNORTHODOX PROCEEDINGS LONDON. April 14 The Moscow correspondent of the Daily Telegraph states that M. Ulrich, President of the Court which is trying the British engineers, was sentenced in 1928 to 10 years' imprisonment lor espionage and for imparting State secrets to a German commercial traveller who told his Swedish employers tho details of Soviet cream separators. A British United Press message states that the defending counsel take voluminous notes, but say little. Counsel for Monkhouse and Thornton, however, several times have elicited facts favourable to their clients. Tho proceedings ft re unorthodox, the accused crossexamining each other simultaneously. The 35 foreign journalists present are transmitting record reports. All of these ! must be submitted to the censor for ' ■Perusal and signature, '