Evening star., 1951-06-07
By the Assoeiaied Press

LONDON, June Two British
foreign service oficials-one the
head of the American depart
ment - have disappeared amid
speculation they might have gone
behind the Iron Curtain.
The Foreign Office announced
today the two men have been
missing from their homes since
May Is.
The two are D. D. MacLean, 38,
head of the American department
of the Foreign Office, and Guy F.,
de M. Burgess, 40, who returned
here on leave last month from his
post as second secretary of the
British Embassy in Washington.
A Foreign Office spokesman re-
fused to speculate on the where
aboutS Of the two, but search by
police and intelligence operatives
has been started both here and in
France.
There is no reason to believe
they have taken any official papers
with them," the spokesman told
questioning newsmen.
As head of the American de-
partment, MacLean would have
a complete and thorough knowl-
edge of top Anglo-American diplo-
matte secrets.
Moscow Reported Destination.
The London Daily Express said
the two men told friend they
planned to go to Moscow to serve
their idealistic purposes"
The London Daily Herald said
MI-5-Britain's ultra secret mill
tary counterespionage arm-was
hunting the two.
The Foreign ONCE issued this
formal statement:
1.-TWO members of the foreign
service have been missing from
their homes since May IS. One
is Mr.. D. D. MacLean, the other
Mr.. G. F. de M. Burgess. All pos
sible inquiries are being made. It
is known that they went to France
q few days ago.
mfr. MacLean had a breakdown
q year ago owing to overstrain, but
was believed to have fully recov-I
cred.
lowing to their being absent
without leave, both have been sus-
pended with effect from the first
of June"
In reply to questions, Foreign
Office spokesman added:
I'VE have no information Of
their whereabouts since they lef<
this country"
The spokesman refused to COM
ment on the Daily Express report
that the two may be making their
way to Russia or to Soviet
dominated Eastern Europe.
French AirpOrts Watched.
The Express said all French air.
ports and frontiers are being
watched, that plainclothes detec-
tives are searching Paris Monte
martre district and that a check
was being kept on visitors to the
Soviet Embassy in London.
II the two missing men have
gone into the Soviet sphere, it
would be the biggest break in
British security since Prof. Bruno
Pontecorvo slipped across to the
East last October. A nuclear ply
sicist, he was regarded as the No.
2 man at Harwell, Britain's atom
research establishment. He had
worked on atom research in Can
ada, also. Pontecorvo. an Italian
born naturalized British citizen,
disappeared after a vacation visit
with relatives in Italy and was re-
ported to have entered the Soviet
Union through Finland. One re-
port said Pontecorvo had just been
working on research in tritium. a
raw material in the hydrogen
bomb.
Eight months before that an
other naturalized Briton, German
born scientist Klaus Fuchs, was
convicted of sending atom secrets
to Russa and sentenced to IA
years in prison.
Both missing men carried dip
lomatic passports, and they are
believed to have left the country
together, but officials professed to
be at a loss to say whether the
men left by ship or plane.