Committee Prints

We have come to take this blessing so much for granted that we have lost proper appreciation of it and proper perspective with regard to it. We tend to forget the true role of the press in the development and maintenance of a free society.

Without an informed people, democracy cannot function soundly; and a free press is indispensable to an informed people.

This vital role of the free press in our democracy has been attested throughout our history by those who have played leading parts in founding and developing this country.

Thomas Jefferson said "Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press."

Henry Ward Beecher called newspapers "the schoolmasters of the common people." "That endless book," he declared, "the newspaper, is our national glory."

Horace Greeley hailed the press as the "chosen guardian of freedom," as the "sword-arm of justice," as the "bright sunbeam of truth."

An attitude of mind which regards our free press as a God-given, irrevocable natural right inclines toward disregard of the influences at work to corrupt and destroy this priceless possession. We must not fall into this error at any time; and it is especially dangerous to do so when the United States is threatened as never before in its history by the aggressive, worldwide Communist empire.

We have invited outstanding writers who have had firsthand experience with the tactics and devices of the Communists of foreign lands in penetrating, undermining, and destroying various segments of the free press of the free world to describe their experiences, so that we may profit from them. This is a compilation of such descriptions, plus certain case-histories resulting from official investigation or sworn testimony.

In the majority of cases described, the Communists ultimately took over power. In all cases the Communists have been quick to recognize the free press as a powerful bulwark against the forces of Communist subversion and insurrection; and they have been ruthless in their efforts to undermine and destroy it.

History has contributed a warning we cannot ignore. It is documented in these pages. We are indeed grateful to the individuals who by their lucid and knowing reports have contributed to this documentation.

A free press can be lost. Let us know and understand what happened in nations which have suffered this loss. Let us understand how and why it happened. And let us resolve that it shall not happen

here.

JAMES O. EASTLAND, Chairman.

AUSTRALIA

THE OPERATIONS OF THE M.V.D. IN RELATION TO

JOURNALISTS

(From "Report of the Royal Commission on Espionage", Commonwealth of Australia) 1

690. The interest of the M.V.D. in journalists, and in particular in members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery at Canberra, appears clearly from the material before us. The principal reason for that interest is obvious. Parliamentary journalists are in constant touch with Ministers and with highly placed officials. They frequently receive "off the record" and background information, sometimes of an important nature.

691. It is apparently the world-wide Soviet practice for Tass representatives to be recruited espionage agents. It certainly was so in Australia, where Nosov, Pakhomov, and Antonov-in succession the Tass men here were all active M.V.D. cadre workers.

692. The "study" of journalists for the M.V.D. was primarily the task of the Tass representative, who could without exciting attention mix freely with journalists and would be naturally accepted by them as one of themselves. He is thus in the way of gaining access to such information as they have and may be able to use them as at least unwitting informants.

693. The M.V.D. interest in journalists is shown by the G Series of documents to have existed prior to 1949, and by the Moscow Letters to have continued thereafter.

694. The Enclosure to Letter No. 2 of 10th November 1949, the origin and nature of which we have described in the preceding Chapter, contains also entries concerning a number of journalists who had attracted the attention of the M.V.D. This Enclosure should not be confused with the Enclosure to the Moscow Letter No. 5 of 27th September 1952 which reflects O'Sullivan's personality reports contained in Exhibit H.

695. The first entry in the Enclosure to the 1949 Letter is in Document G.8. That entry is in these terms:

"Miller Forbes-born 1912, a native of Australia, deputy editor of the 'Daily Telegraph'. Expressed a desire to inform 'T' systematically concerning material prepared for the press. Both he and his wife are favourably disposed towards us.

1 Vladimir Mikhailovich Petrov left the service of the Soviet and sought and was granted political asylum in Australia on Apr. 3, 1954. His wife, Evdokia Alexeyevna Petrov sought and was granted the protection of the Acting Administrator of the Northern Territory of Australia on Apr. 20, 1954. Mr Petrov served in the following capacities in the Soviet Embassy in Canberra, Australia, from January 1951 until the date of his defection: Embassy clerk, Third Secretary, and temporary M.V.D. (Ministry of Internal Affairs) Resident. Mrs Petrov's overt post was that of Embassy accountant and secretary to the Ambassador. She was assigned, however, to take over the M.V.D. cipher work.

Mrs. and Mr. Petrov appeared at hearings of the Royal Commission on Espionage of the Commonwealth of Australia from Aug. 16, 1954 until Mar. 31, 1955. The report from which we quote here was issued Aug. 22, 1955. The passage reproduced was ch. 13 of that report.

696. The entry refers to Forbes Keith Miller, a Sydney journalist. In 1943 or 1944 he became chief sub-editor of the "Daily Telegraph" newspaper, and he held that position until 1952. He later became chief sub-editor of the magazine "A.M.".

697. Miller told us that in 1943 he had-with the consent of his employer-made an arrangement with Nosov, whom he believed to be merely a Tass representative, to supply Nosov with news which might be of interest for him to cable to Tass. For these services, Miller said, Nosov, with the knowledge and approval of the proprietor of the "Daily Telegraph", paid him a weekly sum of £2. Miller told us that he had earlier been a member of the Communist Party but had ceased to belong to it in 1942 because he disagreed with its policies. There was, he said, nothing improper in the arrangement made by him with Nosov, and such an arrangement to supply information of interest to correspondents of overseas newspapers is, we were told, a common practice in newspaper offices. "T" stands for "Tekhnik", Nosov's M.V.D. code name, and doubtless Nosov originally supplied the Moscow Centre with the information contained in the entry and it was later sent out to the Resident here. 698. The next entry in Document G.8 is as follows:

"McInnes-about 40 years of age, journalist. Has wide connections among press workers and in political and business circles. In his convictions he appears to be a man inclined to the left."

699. Despite an inaccuracy as to the age mentioned, this entry relates to Ian Gray MacInnes, who was a member and, for a period, an office-bearer of a branch of the Communist Party. He told us that he allowed his membership to lapse in 1950 or 1951. From 1945 until 1947 he was the editor of "Labour News" and before that had been on the staff of the "Daily Telegraph" and later of the "A.B.C. Weekly". In 1947 he joined the Department of Commerce in a journalistic capacity. He was for a period an office-bearer of the journalistic_capacity. Australian Journalists' Association, and he knew Nosov.

700. The next entry in Document G.8 is as follows:

"Birtles B.-about 48 years of age, prominent journalist, has contacts among writers and artists. Has travelled in Europe, knows Greece well."

701. This refers to Herbert Victor Birtles, a journalist and writer with-so he told us-"leftish" views, who had travelled in Europe and particularly in Greece, where he had collected material for a book, which he subsequently published, about Greek politics and travel. He knew Nosov.

702. The next entry in Document G.8 is as follows:

"Maclean-journalist, sympathetically disposed towards us, a very well informed man. In 'T's' opinion, he will give information."

703. This is the same Maclean who became a member of the Department of External Affairs in 1947 and to whom reference is made in Chapter 10. He was at one period a member of the Communist Party, and he knew Nosov.

704. The next entry is in Document G.9 and reads as follows: "Olsen O.-promised 'T' assistance in the study of the country and in obtaining information passing through the newspaper.

« Forrige Fortsett »

Bøker