Evening star., 1950-08-18
Ex- Navy Worker Here Seized
On Mexican Border as Red Spy;
Ninth Named as Conspirotor
SecIed Complaint
Is Filed Against
Morton SobeII, 33

Morton Sobell. an electrical
engineer who worked in the Navy
Department and married a Wash
ington girl, was arrested today as
a conspirator in the Soviet atom
bomb spy ring.
Thirty-three years old. New
York-born of Russian parents,
he fed to Mexico last June after
the roundup of Soviet spies in
this country began, the FB1 said.
He is the ninth alleged member
of the ring to be named.
The Mexican government de-
ported him and FBI agents were
waiting on the border at LAREDO,
Tex. to arrest him on espionage
charges.
Following his arrest, Sobel was
taken to the Webb County jail at
Laredo. He is scheduled to be
arraigned before a United States
Commissioner in Laredo later
today.
A sealed complaint was filed
with the United States commits
sioner in New York August 3
charging Sobell with conspiring
with Julius Rosenberg and others
in sending national defense in
formation to Russia.
Came Here in 1888.
Sobell came to Washington in
1888 after being graduated from
the City College of New York as
q bachelor of engineering.
In January, 1899. he got job
as an electrical engineer with the
Navy Ordnance Bureau and
worked there until September
l941, when he resigned to attend
the University of Michigan. AT
that time, according to the Justice
Department, he lived at 1925
Seventh street NV.
After obtaining his masters
degree in electrical engineering
Sobell returned to Washington
and lived for a time in apart
ment 3O3 at 1925 N street NV.
In June, 1912, he got job with
the General Electric Co.. which
was working on radar and other
restricted war contracts. He
worked in both the electrical con-
troll unit and the metallurgical
radar section and the marine and
aeronautics sections of GE.
Two Children Born.
While in Washington Sobell met
Helen Levitov Gurewitz, whose
mother and brother live at 2135
Lee highway, Arlington. She was
born in Washington in 1918.
On March 10, 1945, Sobell, on
leave from his job at General
Electric, came to Arlington and
married Miss Gurewitz. They now
have two children.
Before fleeing to Mexico, Sobell
resided with his family at 164-17
73d avenue, Flushing, N. Y.
Sobell left his job at General
Electric in mid-1947 to go to work
as an engineer with the Reeves
Instrument Co., 215 East 91St
street, New York City.
On June 16, the FBI said
Sobell learned of the arrest OF
David Greenglass. who had been
stationed at the Atom Bomt
project at Los AlamoS, while he
was a soldier in 1945.
Never Returned, FBI Says.
Sobell never returned to his jot
at the Reeves Instrument Co.
He left by plane for Mexico or
June %, the Justice Department
said.
Sobell lived for "a year or two
with another man at the Seventh
street address.
Mrs. Sol Aron said the two oc.
cupied an apartment on the sec.
ond floor of her home, but tina
she saw little of Sobell since they
had only speaking acquaintance
Mrs. Aron. whose husband il
a liquor dealer, said the two mer
gave no reason for leaving.
Records of the Henry j. Robt
real estate company reveal thai
Sobell lived at the apartment al
1925 N street NV. from Novem-
(See SPIES paoe A-6O