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Cambridge Five Spy Ring — Part 29
Page 11
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-a et the proposal
Another train of the: "ht secon
Claimed my attention. "he cuse
Was of such delicacy ‘hat the
Chief had inslsted on tcy hand-
ling it myself. But ‘nce the
decisions had been taken in
London all action would devolve
on our people in Istanbul. It-
would be impossible for me, with
slow bag communications, to
direct thelr day-to-day, hour-to-
hour actions. The case would
eeCape my control with unpre-
dictable results.
The more I thought, the more
convinced I became that I
should go to Istanbul myself
to implement the course of
action that I was to recommend
to the Chief. The action itself
required little thought.
That eventng | worked late.
The situation seemed to call for
urgent attion of an ezxtra-
curricular nature.
Next morning, at my meetin
with the Chief, I reported tha
although we had several Volkovs
on file, none of them
matched our man in [stanbul.
I repeated my view that the
case was of great potential im-
bortance. Dwelling on the
delays involved in communi-
tatlong bY bag. FE recom
ently, that
ly briefed should
from London to
take charr@fof the case on the
spot. “Jus? what I was think.
ing myself,” replied the Chief.
But, having raised my hopes,
he promptly dashed them. The
Tevious evening, he said he
ad met Brigadier Dougtas
Roberts in clubland. Roberts
was then head of Security
Intelligence (Middle. East),
M.I5's regional organisation
based on Cairo. Be was enjoy-
ing the fag-end of gs spel! of
home leave. The Chief had
been well impressed by him.
and his intention. so he told
Me. was to ask Sir David Petrie,
the head of M15, to send
Roberts straight out to Istanbul
week? charge of the Volkov
e.
I could find nothing to say
‘He had
all the paper qualifications for
the task on hand He was a
senior officer: his” brigadier's
uniform would doubtless
impress Volkov. Above all. he
spoke fluent Russia n—an
Unassatlably strong point in his
favour : oo ‘
somebody
be sent o
talled against
luck that
Previous evening. There seemed
During the lunch interval. 1’
* arrival.
nothing that.J could do. Sus .
Pénseful aa it would be. 1 just
had to sit back and let events
take their course: hoping that
my work the nicht before would
bear fruit before Roberts got
his teeth into the case.
But on return to my office |
fo aot ham
found a summons from the
Chief awaiting me He looked
thoroughly disconcerted and 1
found luck had veered in mv¥
favour again.
Oberts, If appeared, though
doubtless as Mon-hearted as the
next man, had an unconquerable
distaste for flying and was plan-
ning to go by boat. Nothing that
the Chief could Bay would induce
him to change his plans
I had originally hoped that 1
could sg manoeuvre the discus-
sion with the Chief that he
himself would suggest my fying
to [stanbul But the Roberis
interlude spurred me to direct
action. ,
So [ sald that, in view of the
brigadier’s defection, I could
tA, ER We gy de ay bare A ge
HiVNLIGllaig WY OLA,
Telegraphic correspondence on
every ~*r subject under the
gun, ‘ng many that must
have 2. Top Secret. went on
gaily as before. _
If we believed Volkov’s warn-
ing, we should have concluded
that all telegraphy was.
dangerous. If we disbelieved it,
we should have instructed our
station in Istanbul to take the
Recessary action without delay.
As it was, the only result of
Volkov's tip was to delay by two
of three weeks action on
own behalf.
The answer obviously lay deep
tn the psychology of wishful
thinking. Nor being an expert
on codes and ciphers, I con-
cluded that it was no business
of mine to draw attention to
the gross inconsistency of our
conduct. Anyway. there were
more immediate problems to be
considered.
Tt had been agreed at the
bee tbah Mahe
was safe on Brilish
instructions were to
all costs any deviat
interview into such c
I was in Istanbul =
Volkov away to sat
he could be inter:
those gualified for t
thou that I co
along further
that we were by
satisfied that Volkov
Drovocateur.
It would be most u
therefore, ff his infor
given currency befor
assess ite authentic:
that I could do :
expert, of cou t
driven a coach-and-fi
my fabrications Bu
not an ex , and
Drove piulable.
Towards evening,
Spirite were give:
boost, The pilot an
the intercom that,
Abe
- ‘THE AMOROU
SPY OF
Philbys book throws an
tnteresting sidelight on how,
during the war, the Aris powers
sent ‘spies into Britain. He was
ai that lime directing the work
of counter-espionage agents in-
Spain and Portugal. He writes :
Precious few Spantards or
Portuguese showed willingness
to stick out their mecks for
Fascism. Many of those who
accepiec missions did so simply
to get out of Europe or into
Britain. or both. Besides. we
held the master-key to German
intentions in regular perusal of
their signals.
The case of, Ernesto Simoes -
may be taken as a representa-
tive example =
the German signals that they”
had recruited Simoes in Lisbon
for service in England, Hila
Instructions were given to him
in the form of microdats scat-
tered about bis clothing: his
communications were to be by
mail ,
After consultation with M.I5,
it was decided to/ allow him to
run loose in England for a bit.
in the hope that he might lead
us tO other German agents. He
was therefore unmolested on his
and was even given
discreet assistance in finding
emplovment in a Luton factory
Making parts for aircraft.
The fnformation he might
have obtained there was just
interesting enough to tempt a
spy. “without entailing much
danger if anything had slipped
back to the Germans by mis-
take. He was lodred with a
married couple: the husband
worked in the same factory.
Arrangements were made for his
movements to be watched and
his mail checked
* .
Within = few days Simoes
settled down to am pattern of.
behaviour which he fever sub--
sequently varied. He would
follow hig landlord out of the
factory when the whistle blew,
and see him safely into the
nearest pub
HeSrose
He would then hurry home as
fast ag his legs would carr
him He never;emeérged until
the following mofning. when h
We learnt from—rreally —
Pere
LUTO
there emerged a Ww
‘factory explanation.
Every evening on:
lodging he prompt.
Jandiady under (sc
destine watchers
Maintained) the k::
e would then ea:
Meal and go to bed
After afew wer
decided that the cor
be stopped. Simoes
in. So as to leave
chance. he was ta
“tough " interroga
on Ham m
Tommy Harris ‘of
let loose on him.
Tt was beyond B
tough with +
he did his best. He
that he was in a Br
Service prison; he
the reach of the lav
sulate knew noth
Whereabouts and «
find out: he might
for Hfe. if he was
live: he could 1
beaten, killed, and n:
ever know.
His only hope was
Confession of his es
the Germans. And:
Same sort, with Hur
imagination runnin:
Ramut. Indeed, f.
fessed to me later t
Dainted such a bik
Bicture that he ha.
frighten himself,
To all of this. Sim
With, mounting
merely saying test:iv
that he was hungry .
something to eat. Ai
or sd. however, he
decision.
Calling for paper ;
Scratched out a t
account of his cont.
Germans in Lisbur.
his instructtons, m:.
all. He explained 1
not the slightest i:
doing anything ¢
endanger himseif: h
had been to earn gu:
wartime England
could not have react
Harris, saw tha
account squared in .
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