Evening star., 1949-03-05
FB| Seizes u. S.Woman Clerk IT,
And Russian from u. n. Staff in
New York on Espionage Charges
Workerin Section
On Foreign Agents
TroiIed to Meeting
by Robert K. Walsh
By Robert K. Welsh


A 27-year- woman employe
In the foreign agents registration
section of the Justice Department
here and a Russian engineer on
the United Nations staff were ar
rested in New York last night by
FBI agents and charged with
stealing American secrets. Attor-
ney General Clark announced
today.
Miss Judith Coplon of $685.
Thirty-eighth street NV. in NC.
Lean Gardens, a Justice Depart
ment political analyst since 1943.
was taken into custody along with
Valentine A. Gubitchev, 80, by
agents who said they followed her
to New York yesterday.
Gubitchev was held in 100000
bail and Miss Coplin in $4,000
bail at their arraignment in New
York today on charges OF con-
spiracy to commit espionage.
The Attorney General said the
agents found in Miss Coplon's
purse a fiat package containing
typewriter summaries of infor-
nation distracted from conf1den-
tial documents involving security
data and restricted information.
Checked for Some Time.
This material was actually
valueless because she had been
under close investigation by the
department for some time after
a routine loyalty check indicated
her suspected affiliations" Mr..
Clark said. There also was evi-
dence of previous clandestine
meetings with Gubitchev, he
added.
Although her job was described
by the Justice Department as
minor" it was sufficiently i'm
portant to have her name on the
Office door of room 1920 in the
Justice Department. The foreign
agents registration section is in
the criminal division and, while
considerably reduced in personnel
since the war, its work is re-
garded as highly important.
The small, dark-haired woman,
described by acquaintance as be-
ing of the "intelligentsia type"
was a graduate of several colleges.
She registered at George Wash
ington and American universities
in recent years but never COM
pleted her courses.
Took Courses on Russia.
She was a part-time graduate
student for masters degree at
American University from Sep
tember, 1945, to about January,
1948, and studied international
relations, with two courses on
Russia, university records showed.
She dropped out without complet-
ing dissertation or submitting a
thesis for a degree. At George
Washington University Law School
she registered in the night divi-
sion in February, 1948, but left a
month later.
The exact status of Gubitchev,
as we'll as the question of immu-
ity from United States prosecu-
ton, remained in some doubt
today. The Justice Department
described him as "a member of
the Russian delegation" to the
United Nations and third secre-
tary of the Soviet secretariat, as
signed to the Manhattan office
of U. N.
But U. N. Secretary General
Trygve Lie. in announcing in New
York today that Gubitchev has
been suspended pending outcome
of the charges against him. de-
scribed the Russian as a construc-
tion engineer for the u N. perma-
nent headquarters.
Could Be DepOrted.
Whether or not Gubitchev is
liable to United States court
prosecution. it was noted that he
might be subject to deportation.
The U. NJ headquarters agree
ment, according to the House For
eign Affairs Committee, make it
clear that persons who abuse these
privileges either may be deported
in accordance with the deporta-
ton laws of the United States
or (subject to the approval of
the Secretary of State) may be
required to leave the United
States in accordance with the GUS
tomary procedure applicable to
diplomatic ENJOYS accredited to
the United States"
Oscar Schacter, a U. N. at
torney. was assigned to look into
the question of whether Gubitchev
Is entitled to diplomatic immunity
Gubitchev came from Russia in
1916 with architects planning the
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