Evening star., 1947-01-27
Ottawa's Spy Case
The Full Story of What Happened in Canada Has
Bearing on What Might Happen Here
By Res Collier

By Re.
When 27-year-old Igor Gouzenko.
. cipher clerk In the Office Of the Russian
military attache, walked out of the So
Wet Embassy in Ottawa on the night
of September 5, 1s45, he carried with
him documentary material for one Of
the more remarkable and disturbing
international spy stories which have
come out Of World War II
It is a lurid, near-incredible story Of
espionage by wartime ally on its COM
rades- n-arms, replete with fiction-like
cloak -and dagger episodes involving
subversion Of highly placed, trusted
government servants, theft OF top
secret papers and articles, clandestine
meetings on dark streets and in other
rendezvous of agents and informants,
exchange of curious code messages, pas
sage of money hidden in whisky bottles,
and even conflict between rival nets"
of Russian spies, operating independ-
emily.
And it is q story of particular interest
and concern to the United States, not
only for the reason that much Of the in
formation sent to Moscow had to do
with such American secrets as the atomic
bomb, proximity fuses, radar sonar and
the like, but because the well -authenti-
Gated evidence makes it plain that the
Canadian networks were paralleled by
similar Moscow directed spy rings on
this side Of the border.
Report Of the Royal Commission
The whole amazing tale is contained
between the covers Of 733-page Cana
dian "blue book" with the colorless and
somewhat labored title, 1.-THE Report of
the Royal Commission to Investigate
the Facts Relating to and the Circum-
stances Surrounding the communication
by Public Officials and Other Persons
in Positions Of Trust Of Secret and Con-
fidential information to Agents OF
Foreign Power"
Although this report was released on
June 27, 1916, few copies have reached
the United States ard little Of its SEN
sational contents has been published in
this country.
Yet, as the commission points out, a
general pattern" of espionage activities
is revealed which is applicable to coun-
tries other than Canada. Indeed, in
a section devoted to international links"
Of the Canadian net, the commission
states: "It is not within our province
to investigate spying activities in other
countries, but some OF the actlvlties
carried on in Canada were SO linked with
what happened elsewhere that we feel
bound to mention them in this report.
In general, the espionage network IN
Canada, headed by Col. Nicolai Zabotin,
was a self contained unit directed from
Moscow. At times, however, the docu-
ments from Col. Zapotin's secret ar
chiyes refer specifically. to espionage
networks in other countries. Some OF
these documents relate to the handing
over from one espionage network to
another of agents who have moved or
are about to move to Canada from
another country" The United States
was one of the countries thus mentioned.
General Pattern" of Approach.
Furthermore, the general pattern
includes a detailed outline OF how Com
munist Party members and Communist
sympathizers In a. democracy, even
though native-born and Of supposedly
high character and unquestioned loyalty,
may be induced, through a carefully
planned theological approach, to betray
their country and even to compromise
its security in time of war.
The implied warning written into
the report at several places Is that
what happened in Canada can-and
probably does--happen in the United
States, in England and the other no1l-
Soviet countries; that Communists all
over the world have similar interna-
tional concepts and loyalties, overriding
their oaths of allegiance to their own
government and making them easily
susceptible to the wileS and gules OF
Soviet agents.
The Royal Commission, composed of
Justices Robert Tascherean and r. L.
Kellock of the Canadian Supreme Court,
was appointed February 5, 1916, follow
ing weeks of intensive Investigation
by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
and other authorities and the roundup
of more than a score of suspects whose
names or cover" names were mentioned
in the voluminous papers which Cipher
Clerk Gouzenko took from the embassy,
Gouzenko's act was wholly voluntary.
AS will be disclosed in the next article,
he realized he was undergoing grave
risks in making his daring decision and,
as matter of fact, he narrowly escaped
capture by his irate superiors Of the
military intelligence organization oper-
ating from the embassy.
Falsity Of Communist Propaganda.
The commission was unable to find
any other motive for Gouzenko's defec-
ton from the organization than the one
he gave to the police, namely, that two
years of residence in Canada had con-
vinced him of the falsity of Commun-
list propaganda regarding democracies
and that he no longer could stand to
see Canada stabbed in the back" BY
Russian "doubie-dealing." OF him the
commission commented:
He has undoubtedly been most
informative witness and has revealed
to us the existence ora conspiratorial
organization operating in Canada and