Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-13

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (AA va "a
Boris Milhailovitch Morros.
For IL years the Russian
born Hollywood producer acted
as O master counterspy for the
United States. The perilous
role took him to obscure hotels,
dimly lit cafes and dark street
corners from Paris to Moscow.
His stylish coat was his cloak.
His sharp wit and supreme self
confidence served as q dagger.
Gripping Spy Story
Yesterday Mr.. Morros. 81.
told his tale at a news confer
ence. in the Office of acting
United States Attorney Thomas
B. Gilchrist, jr.
Mr.. Morros' testimony before
q Federal grand jury earlier
this year brought an espionage
indictment against Mr.. and
MRS. Jack Soble and Jacob Al
bafn, and against Mr.. and Mrs.
George zlatovski. Albam and
Mrs. Soble were sentenced to
5la years in prison. Soble will
be sentenced September Is.
TIE Government is trying to
extfadiate the Zlatovskis from
France.
At the news conference Mr.,
Morros spoke with the gusto
of q Hollywood writer at a story
conference. But no spy script
dreamed up in movie studio
could match Mr.. Morros' ac-
count.
The balding producer and
music director told in q thick
Russian accent how be hood
winked the Soviets into think
ing he was a spy for them. Yet
the whole time he was send
ing reports to the FBI.
II was never spy in my
life" he said at the outset,
and during the war ! acquired
q kind Of bravery, and I guess
I behaved properly in the IL
years of my activity.
That is the only reason I
am alive. I don't think I could
do it again."
Even Wife Didn't Know
Mr.. Morris said neither his
wife nor his friends had ANY
inkling of my activity, which
took me to Europe SO times,
including Moscow and East
Berlin"
He said posing as spy for
Russians wasn't easy.
II hated everything they
stood for and when I had to
express myself to high Russian
officials and to American spies
employed by them in terms Of
supporting their vicious ideol-
ogy, ! really had to do q more
realistic acting Job than any
of the players whom ] had ever
directed in Hollywood.
MY life and my mission
depended on that
Mr.. Morros was born to
family Of musicians in st. Pet
ersburg (now LeningraO. He
was a child prodigy who mas
tered almost all known musical
instruments by the age Of IL.
In 1922 he came TO the United
States. He became q natural
lied citizen. Later, he went to
Hollywood. where he wrote
scores for almost 400 movies.
Among the films he produced
were Tales of Manhattan" and
Carnegie Hail."
Asked to Spy for Reds
Mr.. Morros said he went back
to Russia in 1885 to visit his
mother. In 1945 the Russians
asked him to become an agent
for them.
i went straight to the FBI
and reported what had hap
pened," he said. Il was told to
agree to the Russian proposals
and make my contacts"
Mr.. Morros said the Russians
asked him to get information
on strategic materials and pro-
ducts. He handed them docu-
ments cleared by the FBI.
He said an FBI agent was
never more than a stones
throw away from him on his
trips to Europe. One day he
went to the Soviet Embassy in
Paris to see a Russian film. He
sat between a Soviet official
and an FBI agent whom he
had passed off as a "comrade
inarms."
Mr. Morros said he didn't
ask for money from the
Russians and didn't receive
any He said he spent So mil
lion Of his own money on his
espionage work and is now
broke.
Put On Suspect List
Finally. Mr.. Moros was put
on the Russians very suspect"
list. He said the Soviet
Embassy in Washington re.
ceived charges from their paid
spies here-Americans-that Il
was not loyal to the Russian
detectives"
I'm fact" he said. "one
such message came from the
SovietS in Washington while I
was in Moscow meeting with
the top men in the Russian