By DENNIS OGDEN

Petrov case becomes
probe of Tory tactics

‘THE “investigation” into “Soviet

espionage” in Australia,
launched by Tory Premier Robert
Menzies, is fast becoming an in-
vestigation into Australian forg-
eries and Tory electioneering
tactics.

The Menzies Royal Commission
on Espionage is balking efforts to
secure genuine investigation of

_key documents. by independent
experts, and resorting to the Mc-

' Carthyite method of flinging out
new allegations when hard press-
ed.

Faced with the imminent ex-
posure of its much-trumpeted
“documents revealing a Soviet
spy ring,” it announced the ar-
rest of a woman official, Madame
Ollier, of the French embassy in
Canberra. A wartime heroine of
the Resistance, she is accused of
giving information about Indo-
china arms.

“It may well turn out that
those portions of the so-called
Moscow letters referring to
Madame Ollier have been deliber-
ately falsified and fabricated to
injure her or her friends,” de-
clares Australian Labor. party
leader Dr. Herbert Evatt.

Similarly, Australia’s MI5, fac-
ed with Dr. Evatt’s charges that
it paid £5,000 (Australian) for
forged documents and alarmed
by Mrs. Petrov’s poor showing
under  cross-examination, has
been reduced to peddling scare
stories of a “plot” to murder her.

% +

The story of how Australian
secret agents had for years prob-
ed and finally lured the renegade
ex-Soviet embassy official Petrov
‘Was partially disclosed in com-
mission hearings at Sydney last
week.
~The moves — the “sounding
out,” the slow build-up of mat-
erial such as tape-recordings and

accounts of cash handed ‘over

which can later be used for black-
_mail—are characteristic of those
attempted against Soviet diplo-
niats everywhere,

Michael Bialoguski, an emigre
Polish doctor, told the commis-
sion how, unknown to Petrov, he
had helped Australia’s MI5 by
posing as a friend of the Soviet

_ Union.
He took tape and wire record-

ings of many conversations with :

Petrov, both at his flat and in his
car. Immediately after making
a recording, he would hand it
over to the secret police.

He and another Sydney doctor,
Halley Charles Beckett, had

“sounded out” Petrov about Stay-
ing in Australia.

According to Dr. Bialoguski,
Petrov told him that it was Dr.
Beckett who suggested that he
should remain in Australia.

Dr. Bialoguski said he told
‘Petrov that he had had some suc-
cess with oil shares: He was con-
sidering buying a poultry farm
and Petrov could be of great as-
sistance to him.

Late last year — at least four
months before Petrov finally quit
— Bialoguski took Petrov to a
poultry farm on the outskirts. of
Sydney.

Petrov, using x thie name “Peter

Karpich” had paid £30 (Austral-
ian) deposit for it. The cash was
supplied by the Australian MI5.
_ Dr, Bialoguski admitted that he
had stolen a note allegedly refer- —
ing to the French woman diplo-

mat Madame Ollier from Petrov’s

vallet while Petrov was a guest

at his home.

Be ee
Evatt charges that Petrov, far

from being a seeker after free-

dom suddenly enamored of the
A an way of life, was in
fee eee ee

besest conspiracies in Australian

political history.

After secret meetings with the
deputy head of the Australian
MI5, George Richards, Petrov pro-
duced his documents at a time
when he knew — and the Austra-
lian MI5 knew — that they would
help the politically bankrupt
Menzies government in the gen-
eral eiection.

Others alleged to be in the plot

were Fergan O’Sullivan, Dr. Ev-
att’s own former press secretary,
and “in a sense” Mrs. Petrov.

At first, the spy scare commis-
sion had it all its own way; the
Fetrovs appeared and said their
piece, carefully prompted by gov-
ernment counsel W. J. V. Wind-
eyer, QC. ; :

But now it faces a searching
challenge from Dr. Evatt -- one
of Australia’s leading legal auth-
orities — “appearing on behalf
of two members of his staff nam-
ed as sources of information in
the now-notorious “Document J.”

- He bluntly charges the Menzies
government with having bought
the Petrov documents for the
purpose of “unduly and improp-
erly influencing the people. of
Australia at a general election,”
and with concealing from the peo-
ple of Australia until last May’s
-election the sinister fact that Pet-
rov had been paid £5,000 (Aust-
ralian) for them.

In particular he charges the
government with the faking of
“Document J,” alleged by the
Petrovs to have been written in
the Soviet embassy in Canberra
by Rupert Lockwood, Australian
left-wing journalist. He has de-
manded — so far unsuccessfully
— that it be examined by an in-
dependent handwriting expert,
stating: » :

“I say ‘J’ is a fabricated docu-
ment, a concoction that was
brought together at the time it
was handed to Mr. Richards, the
deputy chief of security.”

What is said about “Document
J” by its alleged author, Rupert
Lockwood?

“There is no part of ‘Docu-
ment J’ that has been directly
typed by me, although it incor-
porates material which I sup-
plied to Antonov.”

Antonov is a Soviet fellow-
journalist to whom, on the basis
of a journalistic exchange, Lock-
wood had supplied material about
American and Japanese penetra-
tion of Australia — all of it pub-
lic, non-secret information.

Material had also been includ-
ed to show the type of person
who might most easily be re-

recruited by Australia MI5 to in-
form on progressive movements.
This was to put Antonov on his
guard against a repetition of the
provocations which have in the
past been tried against Soviet
journalists in Australia.
e But, says Lockwood significant-
ly: : : ;

“A lot of material which I gave
Antonov has been retyped by
/meone,. and there: have been

missions, recasting and addition —

of other material.” :
: eat gs

Dr. Evatt’s fight is of key im-
sortance not merely to the whole
of Australia’s labor movement,
yut also to every individual every-
where who believes in fair trial
dy jury. He says:*

“T believe ... the PRtOy Merc
zies letters case will rank in
Australian history as an equiva-
lent to the notorious Zinoviev
Letter which was used to defeat

a Labor government in the 1924.

British elections, or the burning
of the Reichstag which was used

ee usher in the Hitler regime in —

FFlesstibvacks
40 years ago.

(From the files of the B.C.
Federationist,
September 25, 1914-

A mass meeting of women was
held at Wesley Church, :Burrard
and Georgia, to discuss the plight
of several thousand unemployed
women and girls in Vancouver.

I5 years ago

(From the files of the Advocate,
September 22, 1939) —

The Soviet Army, which cross-
ed the Polish frontier on Septem-
ber 17 was everywhere received
by the people as an army of lib-
eration from the eastward-march-
ing Nazi armies as it rolled across
the Western Ukraine. —

IO years ago

(From the files of The People,

September 23, 1944)

"The People condemned W. D.
McLaren, manager of West Coast
Shipyard, for his statement that
the B.C. shipbuilding industry
would need only 3,000 workers
after the war as sabotage of the

campaign for retention of the

New library at last

After several years of civic wrangling and procrastination,

couver is to have its new public library at last. rn
tect’s sketch of the new main building which will go up at the ©?
of Robson and Burrard streets. The new library will replace.

Here is an ef
the
§

present inadequate and decrepit structure at Main and Hastl

(left) which has served for 45 years.

By WILLIAM KASHTAN

Big labor issue today.

is trade union unity —

OW that the mraded and Labor
Congress convention has adopt-

-ed the no-raiding pact it ean be

taken for granted that the Cana-
dian Congress of Labor conven-
tion will do likewise. This could
mark an important step forward
for organized labor. It could en-
able it not only to concentrate
on the big job of organizing the
unorganized;
the way for organic unity. |
It would be folly, of course, to
believe that with the no-raiding
pact signed everything will now
run smoothly. © Raiding is still
going on, both within the AFL-
TLC and between TLC and CCL
affiliates. Nor has the right wing
given up its objective, flowing
from support of U.S. policy, of
raiding and destroying the pro-
Sressive-led unions if it can.

It may-well be that the no-

raiding pact between TLC and
CCL will be used to concentrate
attention on this objective. But
this would be a perversion of the

desire of the rank-and-file for.

an end to raiding. The rank-and-
file will fight against raiding in
any direction and to end canni-
balism in the labor movement
once and for all.

Moreover, the ho-raiding pact,
once adopted, ought to be widen-

-ed to embrace all segments of or-
_ ganized labor, including the Que-

bee syndicates, Railroad brother-
hood and independent unions. It
ought to be considered a first

step in the direction of uniting

the workers of one industry into
one union. Divisions as they ex-
ist now have seriously weakened
the bargaining position of the
unions and thereby made it easicr
for employers to do a job on
them. One union in each indus-
try would be a long step forward
in advancing labor’s interest.

i Se eae AEE pe

‘But over and above —

‘it could also pave

‘reason whatsoever,

things one eaiba stands upp
most andbrooks no delay — “js
over-riding need for uml hich
labor today. Everything We.
takes place these days oe
it, be it the wage freeze pusi’
wage cutting policy of pig > eo"
ness, the growing threat a ws
nomic crisis and continued wie
employment or the wh ite
away of trade union and

cratic rights.

There is growing oot
by all sections that U.S. P°
and government support and ©
plicity in them are resp? fot :
for the plight Canada faces ner”

If organized labor is in es
al agreement on those mat en! é
why not work together for th

This is not to suggest that Hon't
agreements or differences ~~
exist on some important 9 fier
tions. But-none of these di nel ;
ences, unless they are wroné for
put forward as ‘condition’
unity, need stand in the W# jon if
united action now on qu :
on which there is agreement. re

Those who stand in me Rs
unity, who ose i

yy opp play : the

bosses’ game.

Over a million organized W
ers and their families, Wo?
in close fraternal ties Ww?
farm movement and the ™ owns)
class in the cities and rail
could change the picture
ally today. And the’ pice ne
changing if labor is to defe?
living standards, its job, and t
union rights. itie i
. To make that change poss ;
united action is necessary:

The convention of the.
and CCCL would do 4
service not only to ‘
ized labor but the ndGipeal’
est as well, were they to ae
positive and constructive }
his direction. |

vine
th le ;

eet J