Evening star., 1933-04-13
BRITISH ENGINEERS
CONFIRM AND DENY
SABOTAGE CHARGES
M'DonaId Acknowledges Spy
Guilt as Thornton Refutes
Accusations.
CONFESSION BLAMED
ON METHODS OF OGPU
Wrecking of Machinery Supplying
Power to Munitions Plants
Admitted by Briton.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, April 13.-Two British
engineers accused of espionage and
sabotage faced each other today across
the court room, one turning states
evidence and the other denying every
charge.
William H. Macdonald, the only one
of six accused employees of the Metro
politan- Vickers Electrical Co. to plead
guilty when the trial began yesterday,
amplified previous testimony to the
effect that he acted under the instruc-
tions of L. C. Thornton, another de-
fendant, in gathering military and
economic information which subse-
Quently was sent to England.
AS today's session began Macdonald
caused something of sensation by de-
claring he had made discriminating
statements at the time of his arrest
because of the methods of the Russian
secret police.
Acknowledges His Guilt.
He said they had shown him a state
ment which they said had been made
by Thornton, in which Thornton ad-
mitted having used Macdonald to COL
lect information.
For moment it looked as though he
was going to repudiate his original con-
fession, but later he acknowledged his
guilt of all the charges against him.
Thornton denied confessions" made
at the time of his arrest, declaring he
had been frightened and thought he
would have a chance to correct his
statements later He stuck to that
story despite the scornful laughter of
the audience, in which the prosecutor
and the judges joined
The audience held its breath, for it
expected Thornton to tell what he
knows about how the Ogpu works, but
Thornton ignored the question. Later
he admitted his original statement was
made without duress, but he still in
sisted 1t was not true.
Macdonald, lame since childhood,
told the court he had collected mill
tary, economical and politial informa-
tion at Leningrad and at Zlatoust on
Thornton's instruction. He also said
he had wrecked machinery at Zlatoust,
where there is an important power
plant, in an effort to cripple factories
making war materials.
Thornton Questioned.
Every time Macdonald made a state
ment Of this kind the prosecutor turned
to Thornton.
do you admit that?" he woud ask
Each time Thornton's answer was no.
The only information he ever collected
or ordered collected, he said, was in
formation concerning the operation of
machinery installed at Russian plants
by his company
He did admit, however, that he had
paid 5000 rubles for current expenses"
to Russian named Dolgov, who was
identified as an agent provocateur.
There are no spies in our company
and we do no spy's work." said Thorn
ton.
But Macdonald said: Il systemat
ically collected information and I sup
posed other engineers did the same"
Another Russian co-defendant of the
six British engineers was expected to
testify today that he was a spy in their
employ.
This witness, v. A. Sokoloff. was as
sistant director at the Zlatoust Electrical
Station In the Ural Mountains under
the stoop- p-shouldered Vassili Gusev,
whose similar testimony yesterday was
partially confirmed by Macdonald.
British Were Shocked.
MacDonalds statements incriminating
himself came as shock to the British
diplomatic representatives. headed by
william Strang, charge d'affaires of the
British embassy, who are keeping a
close watch on the proceedings. The
Ambassador, Sir Esmond Ovey, has been
recalled to London in what may be the
first step in complete severance OF dip
lomatic relations. British officials IN
London said they were not surprised by
MacDonald's statements in view OF re-
ports they received of his treatment In
PRISON.
There were indications the Soviet
authorities regarded Macdonald as the
main culprit among the six Brltcns.
He was the only one held in jail with
out bail during the entire month since
the arrest of the suspects. The British
(Coptip,yed on Page . Column IL