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BEGINNING The whole story, which—-to put not too much lemon in the tea—has the Britich—g-ernment a dit upset, began when MacLean and Burgess were students together at Trinity College in Cambridge, England. Both had brilliant academic records, Both showed some communist lean- ings while there. Both seemed to have renounced them when they eft. Mr. MacLean fs the son of & former cabinet minister, Sir Donald MacLean. Young MacLean joined the diplomatic service in 1935. He served in Paris, Washington and Cairo, rising swiftly ta the rank of counselor in 1938 at 35. He was here in Washington during the World War FH. period. “In May, 1950,” said the recent British government white paper on the case, “while serving at Her Majesty's embassy at Cairo, Mr. MacLean was guilty of serious mis- conduct and suffered a form af breakdown which was attributed to overwork and excessive drinking. “Until the breakdewn, his work had remained eminently satisfactory and there was no ground whatso ever for doubting his lovalty. After Tecupecration and leave at home he was passed medicaliy fit. and in Oc- tober, 1950, was appointed head of the American department of the Foreign Office which, since it does not deal with the major problems of Anglo-American relations, appeared to he within his capacity.” {The opposition is likeiy fo make a sharp point of this when the House of Commons debates the case next month, INQUIRY (Also, Capt. Henry Kerhy, Con- servative member of Parliament, has demanded a full scale public inquiry into the ease. He said both men were “known as drunks and sex perverts for vears™ to a reat many persons, He also claimed the Foreign Office was deliberately cov- ering up sordid details.) Guy Francis de Moncey Burgess, who hecame a second secretary in Washington in 1950, was much bet- ter known here than his partner in espionage. This was because of the number of times he was arrested for. reckless driving. > Bulges came to Washington with a black mark against him. Early in 1950, British security of- ficers informed the Foreign Office that in jate 1949 while on a holiday ahroad Mr. Burpess had talked in- discreetly about secrets that he had official Knowledge of. "For this he was severely rep- said the British white pees. adding that “apart from this pse his Service up to the time of. his appointment to Washington was sallsfactory.” y But his work here proved un- satisfactory. Again,de drew a rep- rimand. This time ee con- fidential papers unattended. In May, 1951, he was recalied to London and asked to resign, on the promise of being booted out if he didn't, “It was at this point,” said the British government, “that he (and Maclean) disappeared.” That was Friday, May 25, 1951. Dido a “third man" help their gelaway? Just 16 months before that, Brit- ish authorities had received reports — of a security leak, WHITE PAPER The white paper takes up the story from there: “In January 1949, the security authorities received a report that certain Foreign Office information had leaked to the Soviet authorities some years earlier, The report amounted {o little more than a hint and it was at the time impossible to altribute the leak to anv particu- lar individual. “Highty secret but widespread and protracted inquiries were ne- gun... . The field of suspicion had been narrowed by mid-April 1951 to two or three persons. By the be- ginning of May, MacLean (was) principal suspect. Even at that time, there was no legally admis- sible evidence. “Arrangements were made to en: sure that information of exception. al seerecy and importance shouid nat come into his hands. Meantime, seculity authorities arranged to in- vestigate his activities and = con- tacts to obtain information which could be used as evidence... . “On May 25 the then Secretary of State, Herbert Morrison, sanctioned a@ proposal that the security author- ilies should question MacLean. Such questioning might produce no con- fession or voluntary statement suf- ficient to suppor! a proseculjon, but might serve only to alert him... “In that event he would have been free to make arrangements to Jeave the country and the authori- tices would have had no legal power te stop him. Everything therefore depended on the interview. The security authorities were anxious to be as fully prepared as was hu- manly possible, “They were also anxious that MacLean's house at Tatsfield, Kent, should be searched. This was an additional reason for delaying the proposed Interview until mid-June when Mrs. MacLean, who was then pregnant, was expected io be away from home. “It is now clear that In @pite of the precautions taken by theputhor- ities, MacLean must have become aware that he was under inveslig3- tion. One explanation may be that he. observed that he was no longer receiving certain types of secret papers.” SS pe ney ____ Wash. Post and Times Herald Wash. News Wash. Star N. Y. Herald Tribune N. Y. Mirror Daily Worker The Worker New, Leader Date