TREMENDOUS SPY SCARE

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 223, 19 April 1933, Page 5

TREMENDOUS SPY SCARE

Whipped Up by Moscow Newspapers DEATH PENALTIES DEMANDED "To Show Soviet's Strength" . Press Association.— Copyright. Received To, day, 11.15 a.m. Moscow. April 18.—The local newspapers signalised the last day of the trial by wh'ppvr.g up a tremendous spy scare, copiously referring to Bruce Lockhur!:, O'Reilly, Colonel Lawrence and other alleged British spien. The newsoapers generally demanded death penalties in orxter to demonstrate the Soviet's strength. The Pravada declared that the Vickers employees were preparing for a war. The court was packed and excited at the resumption of the trial. M. Ilya Braude, who is the defending counsel in manv Soviet trials, said that any bribes Thornton foolishly gave were for economic information and not espionage.

M. Braude spoke for 45 minutes, but was generally unconvincing. One Counsel Makes Good

On the other hand M. Dalmatovsky defending Gregory and Nordwnll, immediately made good points, for instance: "Lobnnov, Oleinik and Thornton gave evidence against Nordwnll, but the prosecutor called them abject and immoral types, so their evidence is discredited and worthless.'' He demanded Nordwall's acquittal. M. Dalmatovsky's plea .emphasising Norwall's attachment to his Russian wife, his family life and also his proBolshevist sympathies strengthened Nordwall's prospects. Counsel decided it was unnecessary to plead for Gregory, whose release is regarded as certain.

Cushny's counsel, M. Lidoff, declared that there were insufficient docu- j ments to incriminate the prisoner and i that moreover the charges were based partly on the breakdown at Baku in 1928, concerning which testimony was only now forthcoming. Cushny was alleged to be guilty of bribery, because he lent small sums to workers, who sometimes failed to repay them. Cushny received political and economic but not military information. He was interested in everything Russian, but not from a spy's viewpoint. Unconvincing Effort M. Kodomov, defending Monkhouse, opened unconvincingly like M. Braude, causing a frown on Monkhousc's lined and careworn face and an expression of profound pessimism. M. Kodomov said that though long residence in Russia had formed a bond between Thornton and Monkhouse, the evidence showed that Thornton did not tell Monkhouse all about his activities. Monkhouse could not have 'been the central figure in the group, .as the prosecution alleged, because Sakolov and MacDonald did not name j him, though they implicated ThoruI ton.

M. Kodomov pleaded with the judges not to confuse Monkhouse with Thornton, who himself, clearly the central figure, had attempted to implicate Monkhouse.