BAG MYSTERY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19820, 23 December 1938, Page 5

BAG MYSTERY

DOCUMENTS AT iRUN PLANE OF REBEL FORCES SERIES OF ARRESTS REGULAR SPY CHANNEL (Kino. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Dec. 23, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 21. A special correspondent of the Daily Mail states that following the discovery of an incriminating package in the British Consular bag at Irun on Tuesday, a French woman and a Spanish youth, members of the Consul’s staff, were arrested, also an English, messenger and his wife, attached to the delegation of Sir Robert Hodgson, Chief Agent of the British Government in Burgos. The messenger previously was ex-King Alfonso’s head racehorse trainer.

The Daily Mail gives the name of the arrested British messenger as Mr. ,T Ratten bury.

The Australian Associated Press has (earned that none of the Consulate officers implicated in the bag mystery are paid members of the service. _ Mr. Goodman, who has been a Britisher resident in Spain for many years, acts in an honorary capacity and was granted certain .special allowances after the outbreak of the civil war. French Officials Held There is no confirmation of a reported arrest by the Spanish Nationalists of a British subject, Mr. Ernest Golding, who is replacing Mr. Goodman, ana the British messenger, J. Rattenbury. Neither is immune from arrest. Mr. Golding is classed as a pro-consul, which is the lowest consulate grading.

Two prominent French officials at San Sebastian were arrested.

A Spanish Foreign Office statement declares that the consular bag has been a regular channel for spy communications and expresses thanks to Britain for assistance after the discovery.

The Nationalists deny stories of military revolts, but admit the discovery of a vast spy network.

Arrests For Mutiny

It is believed that the official report suggests the statements from the I-lendaye correspondent were not exaggerated. There were probably at least 1500 arrests, including a number of high-placed officials.

Diplomatic circles in London say that the maps found in the bag of the vice-consul, Mr. Harold Goodman, were not the only military information to have strayed from the Spanish Nationalist command. It has been revealed that one of General Franco’s officers went over to the Republicans, taking most of the plans for the Catalonian offensive wnich consequently Had to be postponed at the eleventh hour.