Evening star., 1950-05-25
Harry Gold Spy Trap
Set Two Months Ago
ByFBI, Mcmahon Says


Senator Mcmahon, Democrat,
of Connecticut said today the FBI
set its trap at least two months
ago for Philadelphia Biochemist
Harry Gold, who is being held on
charges of aiding Klaus Fuchs in
atomic espionage.
This disclosure by Senator Nc
Mahon, chairman of the Senate
House Atomic Energy Committee,
came on the heels of information
that the Federal Bureau of In
vestigation sifted through a list of
1900 suspects before it finally ran
down Gold.
The 39-year-old Philadelphian
was arrested Tuesday night and
accused of receiving secret in
formation about United States
atomic developments from Fuchs
and passing it on the the Russians.
Fuchs is the German-born
atomic scientist who recently was
sentenced to a 14-year prison term
by British court after his convic-
ton on charges that he stole Brit
ish and American atomic secrets
for the Soviet Union.
Trail Leans to Gold.
Officials said last night that
when the FBI started its hunt for
the middleman in the case it had
to work from list of 1900 sus-
poets with whom the British scien-
tist might have had contact.
FBI agents were reported to
have produced evidence that Gold
had met Fuchs in Santa Fe, N.
Mex, in 1945. At that time Fuchs
was associated with the atomic
bomb project at Los Alamos, N.
Mex, and held in high regard.
The FBI, it was learned, had
this much information when it
started it's process of elimination:
Fuchs had described his contact
as a short. Stocky man with a
round. oval face and a suave way
of speaking.
Fuchs said he thought the man
could have been a biologist, en-
gineer. chemist or possibly bac-
teriologist because he appeared to
understand what Fuchs was talk
ing about.
The man they sought had to
have been in certain places at
certain times because Fuchs had
supplied definite dates and places
of meeting with the middleman.
Starts Work on List.
The FBI then started running
down its list of known and sus-
pected espionage agents who had
come to FBI attention over
period of years.
Among other things, the FBI
knew that Gold had appeared be-
fore the grand jury in New York
before which Elizabeth Bentley,
the avowed ex-Communist agent,
had told what she knew. Miss
Bentley'S testimony led directly
or indirectly to Colds appearance
before the grand jury.
AS the weeks went by, agents
eliminated suspects one by one
on the basis of physical descrip-
ton, familiarity with scientific
subject and record of past travels.
The trail finally led to Gold.
Officials said after Gold "broke, Z"
Fuchs was shown and identified a
picture of Gold.
There was some speculation on
Capitol. Hill that the third man
In the espionage triangle-the one
who got the secrets Gold is charged
with receiving-WaS a member of
the Russian Embassy staff here.
This person, referred to in official
documents as John Doe" is be-
l1eved to be IN the Soviet Union
now.
Accused of Wartime Espionage.
Gold was charged with COM
mltting espionage during wartime,
an offense which is punishable by
death or up to 80 years in prison,
After a quick arraignment in
Philadelphia he was hurried off
to prison in lieu of a 100000
bond.
Members of his family sought a
lawyer to represent him. His
brother, Joseph, 33, told newsmen
that the lawyers first action
after he's hired-will be to bring
habeas corpus proceedings in an
attempt to reduce his bail.
The accused spy is under con-
slant guard at Holmesburg County
Prison. Officials advised his brother
and father that they could not
visit him until tomorrow.
Joseph and his 7O-year-old
father Samuel said they were
talking about Harry now only in
an effort to describe his character
and not to justify his actions.
The father is a retired cabinet
maker; Joseph is an employe at
the naval aviation depot.
Not a Red, Father Says.
MY son is not Communist" :"
insisted Samuel Gold in an inter,-
view. IF he did anything, ne
was only trying to help Russia
to become strong like America.
I'm 1945 we were allies with
the Russians and my son had a
deep sympathy for the poor peo-
pie of that nation where I was
born. Then when the Russians
started to move away from the
world in 1916, he had nothing to
do with them"
Fuchs, a leader in Britain's
atomic research and a Commu-
mist. came to this country first as
a member Of a British scientific
team. He worked on the top
secret A-bomb project from late
1943 until June, 1946. He was ar
rested in London as a result of
FBI information last February
and Immediately admitted his
guilt.
Congress members familiar with