The Defence of the Realm (168 page)

66
 ‘Re Advertisement in Daily Herald', 1 Jan. 1925, TNA KV 2/1101, s. 19b. For my analysis of the Ewer case I am indebted to the pioneering study by Victor Madeira, ‘Moscow's Interwar Infiltration of British Intelligence', and to the Cambridge PhD theses by Dr Madeira, ‘British Intelligence in “A New Kind of War” against Soviet “Subversion” 1917–1929' and by Dr Kevin Quinlan, ‘Human Intelligence Tradecraft and MI5 Operations in Britain 1919–40'.

67
 ‘From Box 573 Daily Herald in reply to (19a)', 9 Jan. 1925, TNA KV 2/1101, s. 23a; ‘Report on interview by “D”(R)', 3 Feb. 1925, TNA KV 2/1101, s. 27a. Quinlan, ‘Human Intelligence Tradecraft and MI5 Operations in Britain',
pp. 143
–
5
.

68
 Minute of 7 Feb. 1925, TNA KV 2/1101. ‘History of a Section of the Russian Intelligence Service, operating in this country, under management of William Norman Ewer 1919–1929', 8 Jan. 1930, TNA KV 2/1016, s. 809a; ‘Synopsis of Telephone Conversations of the Federated Press of America', n.d., TNA KV 2/1101, s. 46a.

69
 Some of the packets also included messages from ‘Anne' in Paris to ‘C.P.D.' After consultation with IPI, MI5 concluded that the messages were from Evelyn Roy, wife of the leading Indian Communist M. N. Roy (who had recently been expelled from France and was living in Moscow), to Clemens Palme Dutt, brother of CPGB Executive Committee member Rajani Palme Dutt. Minute of 3 Feb. 1925, TNA KV 2/1101; minute of 13 April 1925, TNA KV 2/1099; letter to Morton, 4 March 1925, TNA KV 2/1099, s. 48a. Quinlan, ‘Human Intelligence Tradecraft and MI5 Operations in Britain',
pp. 146
–
9
.

70
 ‘Memorandum on Slocombe', 29 April 1930, TNA KV 2/485, s. 205a; ‘HOW on George Slocombe', minutes of 15 May 1925, KV 2/1099; ‘History of a Section of the Russian Intelligence Service . . .', 8 Jan. 1930, TNA KV 2/1016, s. 809a. Callaghan and Morgan (‘The Open Conspiracy of the Communist Party and the Case of W. N. Ewer') cast doubt on Ewer's involvement in espionage, largely on the grounds that he was ‘an open communist'. The most important espionage trial of the 1930s, however, similarly involved a spy-ring run by a well-known Communist, this time a senior Party official (see below,
pp. 167
,
182
). Though later understandably anxious to underplay the significance of his covert activities in the 1920s, Ewer himself acknowledged that his involvement with Slocombe amounted to espionage. For further comment on the case put forward by Callaghan and Morgan, see the theses by Madeira and Quinlan.

71
 Bennett,
Churchill's Man of Mystery
,
p. 123
.

72
 Madeira, ‘Moscow's Interwar Infiltration of British Intelligence',
p. 923 n. 31
; CPGB's annual allocation according to Allen, TNA KV 2/989, s. 77a, ‘Mr. Harker's notes on interview of 2.9.28', 11 Sept. 1928; ‘History of a Section of the Russian Intelligence Service . . .', 8 Jan. 1930, TNA KV 2/1016, s. 809a.

73
 Minute of 18 April 1925, TNA KV 2/1101.

74
 Minute of 6 March 1925, TNA KV 2/1101.

75
 Kell did, however, show the DPP's ruling to Sir Wyndham Childs. On Sinclair's Whitehall connections, see above,
pp. 136
–
7
.

76
 The MI5 files on the ARCOS raid are in TNA KV 3/15–16, KV 2/818. Bennett,
Churchill's Man of Mystery
,
pp. 94
–
106
. Madeira, ‘British Intelligence in “A New Kind of War” against Soviet “Subversion”, 1917–1929', ch. 7.

77
 Bennett,
Churchill's Man of Mystery
,
p. 94
. Madeira, ‘British Intelligence in “A New Kind of War” against Soviet “Subversion”, 1917–1929', ch. 7.

78
 Intercepted telegrams from Yakovlev to Moscow of 13 April and 18 May, published in Cmd. 2874 (1927),
Documents Illustrating the Hostile Activities of the Soviet Government and Third International against Great Britain
,
p. 31
.

79
 Security Service Archives.

80
 Cab. 23(27), TNA CAB 23/55.

81
 
Parl. Deb. (Commons)
, 24 May 1927, cols 1842–54.

82
 Ibid., 26 May 1927, cols 2207–22, 2299–306.

83
 Chamberlain to Rosengolz, 26 May 1927,
Documents on British Foreign Policy
, series 1A, vol. III, no. 215.

84
 Cmd. 2874 (1927),
Documents Illustrating the Hostile Activities of the Soviet Government and Third International against Great Britain
.

85
 See below,
pp. 175
,
368
.

86
 Denniston, ‘Government Code and Cypher School between the Wars',
p. 55
. Andrew,
Secret Service
,
pp. 469
–
71
.

87
 Harker to Kell, minute, 21 May 1928, TNA KV 2/989; B.4 report re Allen, 25 June 1928, TNA KV 2/989, s. 1a; B.4 report re Allen, 27 June 1928, TNA KV 2/989, s.54a. Quinlan, ‘Human Intelligence Tradecraft and MI5 Operations in Britain',
pp. 152
–
4
.

88
 Harker to Kell, 24 July 28, TNA KV 2/989, s. 63a.

89
 Allen's statement regarding the activities of the FPA, 20 Aug. 1920, TNA KV 2/989, s. 69a; ‘History of a Section of the Russian Intelligence Service . . .', 8 Jan. 1930, TNA KV 2/1016, s. 809a; ‘Comparative Statement of information obtained from Allen and MI5 records', 29 Aug. 1928, TNA KV 2/989, s. 72a. Quinlan, ‘Human Intelligence Tradecraft and MI5 Operations in Britain',
pp. 155
–
8
.

90
 ‘History of a Section of the Russian Intelligence Service . . .', 8 Jan. 1930, TNA KV 2/1016, s. 809a. Madeira, ‘Moscow's Interwar Infiltration of British Intelligence, 1919–1929',
p. 927
.

91
 ‘History of a Section of the Russian Intelligence Service . . .', 8 Jan. 1930, TNA KV 2/1016, s. 809a.

92
 In 1950 Ewer agreed to be interviewed by Maxwell Knight; TNA KV 2/1099.

93
 ‘Charles Jane', TNA KV 2/1398.

94
 See above,
p. 127
.

95
 Bennett,
Churchill's Man of Mystery
,
p. 125
.

96
 Guy Liddell diary, 17 June 1949, Security Service Archives.

97
 Ibid., 25 May 1949.

98
 ‘Clandestine Activities of William Norman Ewer 1919–1929', Sept. 1949, TNA KV 2/1016. ‘History of a Section of the Russian Intelligence Service . . .', 8 Jan. 1930, TNA KV 2/1016, s. 809a. Bennett,
Churchill's Man of Mystery
,
p. 125
. No file on Hayes survives.

99
 See below,
p. 130
.

Chapter 2: The Red Menace in the 1930s

1
 Carr,
Foundations of a Planned Economy
, vol. 3,
pp. 376
–
99
. Carr,
Twilight of Comintern
,
pp. 209
–
14
.

2
 ‘Internal Security of H.M. Forces during 1929', 3 Feb. 1930, TNA WO 32/3948 110/Gen/4399.

3
 Haslam,
Soviet Foreign Policy, 1930–1933
,
p. 56
.

4
 Andrew and Mitrokhin,
Mitrokhin Archive
,
pp. 49
,
53
–
4
. Andrew and Gordievsky,
KGB
,
pp. 165
–
8
.

5
 ‘Internal Security of H.M. Forces during 1929', 3 Feb. 1930, TNA WO 32/3948 110/Gen/4399.

6
 Roskill,
Naval Policy between the Wars
, vol. 2, ch. 4. Roskill,
Hankey
, vol. 2,
p. 556
. Ereira,
Invergordon Mutiny
, ch. 10.

7
 ‘Most Secret' cabinet minute, 21 Sept. 1931, TNA CAB 23/90B.

8
 ‘Transcript of shorthand notes at an interview at New Scotland Yard, S.W., 3rd October 1931: statement by Telegraphist Stephen Bousfield, HMS “Warspite”', TNA KV 2/604, s. 7a. Harker took part in questioning Bousfield at Scotland Yard.

9
 
The Times
, 17, 26 Oct., 3, 27 Nov. 1931. On Allison's earlier career, see above,
p. 164
.

10
 S8 (Sissmore) to Harker, Minute 53, 8 June 1932, TNA KV 2/604.

11
 In February 1933 Hutchings was joined in Moscow by his wife, also a committed Communist. S10, Minute 79, 24 Feb. 1933, TNA KV 2/604.

12
 Ereira,
Invergordon Mutiny
, ch. 11. In his authoritative later study of naval policy between the wars Captain Stephen Roskill found no evidence of any Communist activity in the navy save for a few cases of naval ratings attending CPGB meetings in Hyde Park in support of the miners' strike in 1926. Roskill,
Naval Policy between the Wars
, vol. 2,
pp. 115n
.,
116n
.

13
 V. Baddeley (for Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty) to Under Secretary of State, War Office, 16 Nov. 1931, TNA KV 4/129, s. 42a.

14
 Boddington had first joined the CPGB in 1923 (see above,
p. 122
) but from 1924 to 1926, when working both for MI5 and SIS, he joined instead the British Fascists and the Italian Fascist Party. No details of his operations while posing as a Fascist survive in Security Service files. Boddington left the British and Italian Fascists in 1926 and rejoined the CPGB. In 1932 he ‘discreetly faded out' of the Communist Party (Security Service Archives). His reasons for fading out are unknown. It is possible that he feared that his cover was wearing thin and that Harker believed that Knight's agents were henceforth better placed to penetrate the CPGB.

15
 
Parl. Deb. (Commons)
, 16 April 1934, cols 740–43. Anderson,
Fascists, Communists and the National Government
,
p. 70
.

16
 Hyde,
I Believed
,
pp. 42
–
3
.

17
 The Security Service memorandum of October 1932 was cited in an untitled War Office memorandum of 16 March 1933, TNA WO 32/3948 110/Gen/4771.

18
 Olga Gray (see below,
pp. 179ff
.) is one of a number of possible sources of the ‘information of the highest importance'; this may help to explain the ‘most handsome bonus' given by Kell to Knight later in the year (see above,
p. 132
). Very few reports from Knight's agents survive.

19
 Untitled War Office memorandum, 16 March 1933, TNA WO 32/3948 110/Gen/4771.

20
 
Security Service
,
p. 107
. See above,
p. 142
.

21
 Cab 52(33)6, 18 Oct. 1933, TNA CAB 23/77.

22
 Andrew,
Secret Service
,
pp. 518
–
19
. The only prosecution under the Act was of a Leeds University student ‘of extreme political views' sentenced in 1937 to a year's imprisonment for suggesting to an RAF pilot that he steal an aeroplane and use it to help the Spanish Republicans. His sentence was drastically reduced on appeal.

23
 MI5 and Scotland Yard note to DDMO&I, 5 March 1930, TNA KV 5/71, s. 131a. Guy Liddell (then at MPSB), ‘Russian Oil Products Limited', 14 Jan. 1931, TNA KV 5/72, s. 191a.

24
 G. M. Liddell (then at MPSB), ‘The activities of Russian Soviet organizations in Great Britain and Ireland since the ARCOS raid, May 1927–April 1929', 17 April 1929, TNA KV 5/71, s. 64a; ‘Russian Oil Products', 5 May 1932, TNA KV 5/72, s. 356z.

25
 ‘Note of discussion at the Home Office on ROP Petrol depots', 13 March 1934, TNA KV 5/74, s. 604a.

26
 Holt-Wilson noted in May 1931: ‘By arrangement with Scotland House . . . we are, for the most part, concerning ourselves only with the espionage and sabotage side of the Russian Oil Products problem. Scotland House are making themselves responsible for the collations of information with regard to personnel employed at the various depots throughout the country and we are passing to them all material on this subject that comes into our hands.' Holt-Wilson to J. C. MacIver (Home Office), 19 May 1931, TNA KV 5/72, s. 221a. In October, following the transfer of the counter-subversion section of the Special Branch to MI5, the Security Service became responsible for all aspects of the ROP investigation.

27
 MI5 and Scotland Yard note to DDMO&I, 5 March 1930, TNA KV 5/71, s. 131a.

28
 MPSB report to Security Service, 20 April 1932, TNA KV 5/72, s. 341c.

29
 See below,
p. 182
.

30
 Valentine Vivian (SIS) to Liddell, ‘The Olsen case', 14 Oct. 1932, TNA KV 2/2880, s. 25a.

31
 O. A. Harker (DB), ‘Joseph Volkovich Volodarsky and Elisabeth Grigorievna Volodarskaya', 4 Nov. 1932, TNA KV 2/2280, s. 46a.

32
 Security Service Archives. On Brandes, see below,
p. 181
. Volodarsky was interned in Canada during the Second World War, admitted working for the NKVD, co-operated in debriefings and was allowed to settle in Montreal.

33
 MI5 report, ‘Pyotr Kapitza', 17 Sept. 1930, TNA KV 2/777, s. 42a. Report on Maurice Dobb, 19 Sept. 1930, TNA KV 2/1758, s. 12a.

34
 Andrew and Gordievsky,
KGB
,
pp. 205
,
210
.

35
 22 June 1934, TNA KV 2/777, s. 81a.