Evening star., 1933-04-16
Britons Watch Trial of
Engineers in Russia
BY A. q. GAADINER.

LONDON, April 15.-The Sensational
development Of the Moscow drama. In
volving the trial Of six Englishmen
accused of high crimes against the So
Wet Union, overshadows the Easter fes-
tival and adds to the grounds for dis
quiet at the absence from the country
Of Premier Ramsey Macdonald, who
sails for America today.
Stanley Baldwin becomes acting
prime minister while Mr.. Macdonald
Is away. At a cabinet session this week
the decision was taken to call the min
listers together during the Easter recess
II the result Of the Moscow trial is
considered to require immediate action
by the British government.
: The only object OF summoning q cab
met meeting in such circumstances
would be to put in force the powers
already taken by the government to
prohibit Russian imports into this
country. This, Of course would involve
complete rupture of diplomatic re-
lations between the two countries. with
consequent repercussions upon the
world situation.
Public anxiety in regard to the fate
Of the British prisoners was intensified
by the confession Of guilt made by Will
liam L. Macdonald, one Of the accused.
While this confession and his plea Of
guilty were withdrawn, Macdonald .
short time later was again forced to
admit substantially all Of the charges.
His confession gravely compromises the
position Of the other five Englishmen
'A.T 49, aHHrSS.;y,, Is E"aSs,,..S 49, -,
the terrible ordeal to which Macdonald
was subjected. He has been kept in
solitary confinement throughout and
has had to submit to the tortures Of q
third degree examination for 20 hours
at stretch. AL the press correspond
ents agree that his appearance In
court gave the impression Of q man
dazed and broken.
The Soviet case rests mainly on the
evidence of Va.sili Gusev, one Of the
eleven Russians who admitted being
counter r-revolutionaries, and of Anna
Kutuzova. Russian secretary Of Allan
Monkhouse. head Of the Metropolitan.
Vickers Electrical Co., in Moscow, and
himself one of the defendants.
Gusev is clearly engaged in q desper-
ate attempt to save his own life by
substantiating the case against the Eng
lish, but the evidence SO far adduced iS
trivial and suggests that II Macdonald
were really involved he has been the
instrument of Gusev and the White
Russians rather than of any British
influence.
The Soviets' indictment Is that the
representatives of Vickers
in Russia have recruited. organized and
led q counter-revolutionary group to
wreck machinery all over the country
and sap the power of the Soviet state
In case of war: that they have supplied
defective machinery and maliciously
erected it badly: that they have en-
ployed their staff as an espionage or
sanitation for political and military in
formation: and that they have bribed
Russian subordinates to wreck and con-
ceal the defects in their machinery.
The evidence on which this indict-
ment Is based would not be admitted
In any English or American court Of
|, law. Most Of It IS merely farcical In
character, such As that of the Russian
Olienik, an employe Of the British COM
pany, who asserted he received the
sum of f10 from L. c. Thornton, one
Of the accused Britons, and promptly
disclosed the fact to the Ogpu (Russian
political police) as evidence Of bribery.
III view Oh Tic I8Ct tIlat Tie 6OvicL
Union owes Metropolit itan- -Vickers ST.
900 900. that the company has carried
out vast works for the Soviets over q
long period of years and that it depends
for business success upon the quality Of
its work. it Is fantastic suggestion that
1t would engage In Q plot to destroy its
own machinery by distributing &1O
notes among its employees.
+
All the evidence has been obtained
from the accused Russians while they
were In solitary confinement in Lu-
bianka prison and obtained by third
degree methods under threat Of the
death penalty. In view Of this no doubt
is felt that the Russian witnesses
win, rs the London Dailv Telegraph
says, repeat In court the stories which
have been placed in their mouths TO
incriminate the British prisoners. Poll
ftcs and Soviet necessities have staged
this trial and the same confederation
win dictate the verdict, whatever that
(osswisht 1881