Evening star., 1933-04-14
RUSSIAN WORKERS
TELL Of ALLEGED
BR|BES PAID THEM
Thornton, Macdonald and
NordWeII Charged With
Buying Information.
TWO BRITISH ENGINEERS
DENY ALL ALLEGATIONS
Third Continues to Stick to Con-
fession Given 0gpu at Time
of Arrest.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, April l4.-Russian testi-
mony to support charges of bribery and
sabotage was presented today at the
trial of six British engineers accused Of
these high crimes against the Soviet
state.
One witness told of taking bribe of
$500 from L. c. Thornton, one of the
defendants. Another said he had been
paid $500 by William H. Macdonald,
another of the accused, to deliver plans
for power plant in the Urals. A third
Russian witness said Charles Nordwell
had paid him s2,500 and given him a
fur coat to damage turbine at the
Ivanovo power plant.
This last charge was made by A. T.
Lobanov, chief of the electrical depart
ment of the Ivanovo power station.
Lobanov also Is a defendant in this
trial.
Nordwell's name was brought into the
proceedings for the first time when this
witness told of the $2500 bribe. Loba-
nov said he had entertained anti-Sovlet
ideas and that he had complained to
Nordwell about the low living standards
in this country.
Quotes Engineer.
"If YOU want to improve your condi-
tion." he said Nordwell told him, you
must act now. You must cause impor-
tant damage so that Russia will have
to spend more gold. Above all, you
must be sure that this power plant Is
paralyzed in case of war"
Lobanov recounted the conversation
in detail, but Nordwen himself denied
every word of it. Speaking RUSSIAN
fiuently, but with pronounced accent.
the blond Englishman stood shoulder
to shoulder with his accuser IN front
of the Judge. :,
never said q word to him about dam
age or about war" Nordwel said;
snow let me tell you about that fur
he looked Lobanov in the eye as he
EXPLAINED that he had helped another
en1ploye of Metro Vickers to sell Lopa-
nov an overcoat which the owner no
longer needed Shouting above the
prosecutor, who sought to interrupt the
story, Nordwell told how Lobanov had
paid him 500 rubles. which he turned
over to the owner Of the coat.
The other charge of bribery made
today was by Alexey Dolgov, who said
Thornton had paid him s1,500. which
he considered to be bribe. Tor con-
cealing a defect In machinery installed
by Thornton's company.
Advanced as Loan.
Thornton then was called upon to
stand In the prisoners box. He ao-
mitted giving the money to Dolgov, but
declared it was given as loan. He
said Dolgov requested it IN order to
buy an apartment for himself and
promised to return the money.
Allan Monkhouse, chief of the Met
ropolitan-Vickers staff In Russia and
one of the defendants, then was called
to testify. He insisted Thornton gave
the money as loan. He added: Dol
gov never returned 1t and we wrote
it off finally as gift"
Both Thornton and Macdonald, the
only one of the Englishmen who pleaded
guilty to the charges, asserted yesterday
that confessions were obtained from
them against their will Thornton said
he had obtained information in Russia
which was merely essential to his COM
pany because of its investments.
Dolgov, a 30-year-old Russian official,
precipitated the investigation OF the
British company by Immediately turn
ing over money he received from Thorn
ton 10 tne Ogpu tScCIeL poICej. hC
made a good impression as witness
with his direct, unhesitating answers.
Didn't Ask for Money.
He was dressed in shiny blue suit
and white shirt. He was clean-Shaved,
sandy haired, of medium height, broad
shouldered and with sharp blue eyes.
The first witness, aside from the ac-
cused, to testify in the trial, Golgov de-
clared, feelingly:
"Comrade Prosecutor, am Soviet
engineer and do not ask foreigners for
money"
Prosecutor Audrey Y. Vishinsky
pressed him for an explanation.
The Metropolitan-V -Vickers equipment
was not always in good condition and,
IN my opinion, the money was given me
as a bribe," he said. Il never asked for
T. because do not need money"
He said his salary was $50 rubles
tabout $275) monthly and his wifes,
19G rubles (about $95).
Thornton said the confession he
had signed was useless to deny" when
1t was obtained from him by the Rus
sian police. During his testimony yes
terday the audience laughed when he
Continued on Page 2, Column D.