Evening star., 1946-02-21
Russians Say Canada
Attempts 10 Cover Up
Bevin UN0 Failure
BY she Assoeiofed Press

LONDON, Feb. 2l.-Russia said
today its representatives had
obtained insignificant Sc
cret data" in Canada and its
press accused the Canadian gov
ernment of using the espionage
: expose for IAN unbridled anti
Soviet campaign" +
THE Moscow newspaper Pravda,
organ of the Communist party,
charged editorially that Canada
made the statement to distract at
tention from the political failure"
of British Foreign Secretary Ernest
BeYin at the United Nations As
Senbly meeting. a.
A Canadian spokesman comment
ed in Ottawa:
The Soviet statement started out
as ar admission of guilt sufficient
to cause the withdrawal of it's mill
t3ry attache, and then proceeded to
minimize the whole matter and
sought to make political capital by
lihputing motives to the Canadian
government"
The Canadian government was
under increasing pressure to lift the
news blackout on the investigation
into the alleged spy plot.
Efforts to Distract Attention.
Pravda's lengthy editorial ex-
planned the Canadian spy statement
with this assertion:
Some one obviously had to help
Bevin to distract attention from his
failures at the session of the Assem-
bly,. 1t is clear now that canadian
Prime Minister w. L. Mackenzie
King decided to aid Bevin. The
latter, however, did not dare to de-
fend Bevin directly, but took upon
himself another task-to distract at
tention from Bevin's political failure
at the session of the Assembly"
The Russian government state
ment acknowledging some data had
been obtained first was broadcast
last night from Moscow.
The Soviet military attache in
Canada received from acquaintan-
ces among Canadian citizens certain
information of a secret character
which, however, did not present a
special interest to Soviet authori-
ties" the Russian government said
in last nights statement.
The statement indicated the in
formation concerned radar and
atomic energy.
Anti-Soviet Campaign Charged.
At the same time, the statement
said, Russia deemed it necessary
to call attention to the campaign,
hostile to the Soviet Union, which
has started in the Canadian press
and radio. The position
taken up by the Canadian govern
ment is directed toward the encour-
agement of this campaign in the
press and radio. 1t is not compatible
with friendly relations between the
two countries.
"One must recognize" the state
ment continued, that the above
mentioned unbridled antl-Soviet
campaign was part of the plan OF
the Canadian government and Is
aimed at inflicting political harm
to the Soviet Union.
The statement, later handed to
the Canadian Charge d'Affaires in
Moscow, asserted that the Soviet
military attache in Ottawa was re-
called as soon as "the above-men-
toned activities Of certain mem
bers" of his staff became known to
the Russian government, because of
the 'inadmisSibility Of these actlv-
tiles.
ENJOYS Connection Denied.
The statement said the Soviet
Ambassador and other members OF
the Embassy in Canada had mo
connection whatsoever with the
matter"
Dispatches from Ottowa said the
Russian military attache, Col. Nj
colai Zabotin, left the Dominion
capital some time ago.
The Russian statement expressed
"amazement' that the Canadian
government had published its state
ment telling of the leakage of Sc
cret information without first ask
ing an explanation from the So
Wet government, "as is expected
between countries maintaining
normal relations"
First Reaction From Russia.
The broadcast was the first Of
fetal reaction from Russia since
Prime Minister Mackenzie King
announced the leakage last Friday.
A royal commission has been ap-
pointed to investigate the leakage,
which some highly placed sources
said included information concern
ing atomic energy.
TT was ascertained," the Rus
sian statement said, that the data
concerned such technical details as
were not needed by the Soviet order
in view of the fact that in the U. S.
S. R. higher technical achievements
are in existence and which may be
found in publications on radio-lo-
cation and similar subjects as well
as the well-known pamphlets of the
American Smyth on atomic energy"
CDR. Henry Dewolfe Smyth,