NAVAL SECRETS

Southland Times, Issue 19461, 28 January 1925, Page 7

NAVAL SECRETS

O’LEARY AND McGOUGH IN COURT.

CASE FOR PROSECUTION. (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, January 25. O’Leary and McGough were remanded at Bow Street till to-morrow. Mr Travers Humphreys, for the prosecution, announced that during Admiral Hotham’s evidence he would ask that the evidence be heard privately, on the ground that its publication would prejudice the national safety. He stated that two letters were found on McGough. One bore the stamp of the “Irish Republican Army, No. 7 Area, Britain.” It was dated January 14, and was headed: “Intelligence Department.” It was addressed: “Intelligence Officer, Britain.” It related to experiments in the Haslar dock and aboard a warship. It also contained statements relating to important secret matters, w’hich would be prejudicial to the national safety. The other letter was a similar communication from “No. 1 Area, 1.RA.,” dated January 11. Documents were found in O'Leary s room at Portsmouth, showing that O’Leary was the writer of the first letter, which was sent to McGough in the care of a woman living in London, who appeared to be a sort of post office for these people. Rear-Admiral Hotham gave evidence that the publication of a statement in the letter in regard to naval experimental work at Haslar would prejudice the national safety.

Mr Mark Payne (Superintendent of the Admiralty Experimental Works at Haslar) said that the statements in the letter in regard to secret experiments during 1924 were substantially accurate.

The arrest of a woman and men who were alleged to be members of the Irish Republican organisation concerned in the plot to blow up the warships had its sequel in Bow Street Police Court last week, when two men were remanded. Jeremiah Joseph O’Leary (dockyard shipwright, Portsmouth), was charged with communicating information about the Haslar dockyard to Cyril McGough (Civil servant, London), who was charged with receiving it.