TO BLOW UP BALTIC FLEET

Taranaki Daily News, 15 September 1927, Page 9

TO BLOW UP BALTIC FLEET

ALLEGED BRITISH SPIES NINE MEN SUMMARILY SHOT SOVIET CHARGES REFUTED By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. London, Sept. 13. The correspondent of the Central News at Leningrad states that the nine supposed British spies were summarily shot immediately after tlie trial. They included Goyer, who is described as a master spy. It is alleged that he confessed saying: “I confess, not to save my own life, but to Jet "everybody know the crimes of my masters, the British intelligence service.” Received Sept. 14, 7 p.m. London, Sept. 14. Tlie Daily Express’ Moscow correspondent, detailing the spies’ trial, says that the State Prosecutor made a five hours’ speech mainly an indictment against England and Sir Austen Chamberlain’s note, which was described as full of lies, blackmail and hypocrisy. He alleged that Britain had beensending whole consignments of spies to Russia, the final aim always being the blowing up of the Baltic fleet, in order to open the road to Leningrad. The information which the British spy masters, Captain (name omitted) and Colonel Meiklejohn asked Goyer and Klopushkin to obtain, usually concerned the fleet. Spies were recruited from among the members of Russian aristocracy becausa counter-revolution and espionage were inseparable. He further alleged that tne Dutchman Goyer was entrusted with tho most important work because he chose his informers with great skill. He worked on behalf of the British Mission in Moscow. This Sir R. M. Hodgson (the British Charge d’Affaires) has since explicitly denied. Professor Nikitin, a talkative Soviet poison gas expert who liked his" wife to have silk stockings in return for which he gave what he said was harmless information, received a year’s imprisonment. Received Sept. 14, 10.5 p.m. London, Sept. 14. The Riga correspondent of The Times states that according to the Baltic Press, a Norwegian diplomatist, on behalf of the British Government, has informed the Soviet that none of the accused sentenced to death for spying worked for the British Government, and that the Soviet is exploiting the trial throughout Russia for a war scare campaign.