THE MEN IN THE TROJAN HORSE SIR PERCY & 'BEETLE' SMITH CUT SOVIET'S SPY LINE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70-00058R000100100035-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 14, 1998
• Sequence Number: 35
• Publication Date: May 4, 1954
• Content Type: NSPR

GNAT Y 1954
THE u-,pvW Ffie~kg3( /042jAfjp-RDP70-00058R000100100035-1
Sir Percy & Beetie'Smith
-Cut Soviet's Spy Line'?
The four most powerful men in the world of espionage in our generation have -been
Russia' Lavrenti Beria, Germany's Admiral Canaris, Britain's Sir Percy Sillitoe and
Beria and his spies had been
successful in obtaining blue-
prints of the B--25 bombers and
of the c'itical structure of the
Nagasaki atom bomb.
Klaus Fuchs supplies the atomic
information from the British side,
the two Rosenbergs from the Amer-
ican side. Dr. Pontecorvo betrayed
the West's cosmic ray research,
and two British diplomats escaped
into Russia with secret information
on British-American defense plans.
The main British code also had
fallen into Russian hands. No won-
der Lavrenti Beria and his office
were confident their apparatus
could not be matched.
WARNINGS UNHEEDED
On the other hand, U. S. intelli-
gence offices had failed to convince
statesmen of. the West of an im-
pending war in Korea. The intelli-
gence agencies of France and Brit-
ain did net foresee the preparations
and implications of the invasion of
Indo-China and Malayan territory.
Then suddenly Berta's secret
agents began to have difficulties.
His spies were brought to trial.`
Security checkups prevented other
spy infiltration. All along the
line tlr activities were seriously
hani j red.
One challenge to Soviet espionage
sepremacy and the tightening of
1cstern intelligence policies was
d ,e to '" Percy Sillitoe, six-foot-
:. c7-inch chief of Britain's famous
t: r 5 S ice.
Second of five stories by a for-
mer U. S. intelligence agent who is
author of 21 books and is noted as
a lecturer. The stories are from
his latest book published by Beacon
Press.
tary forces have produced during
the last three decades.
Not many photographs of him arc
In existence, for he has never used
his public relations apparatus in his
own behalf, but 'he looks young,
trim, and vigorous. Insiders knew
Pee-s- avt social ' him as the hardest working man at
or parties y in i the all belief th f hat t such such the Pentagon. They respected him;
activity might endanger his job of they loved him; and they wondered
ac
protecting Britain and the West how one man could achieve as much
against continued Soviet espionage. as he did. His manner, as the Rus-
The United Nations estimated in sians know, is always straightfor-
1949 that Britain had 3860 intelli-
gence.Qficers-which is only a frac-
tion of;:Russia's vast spy corps. Un-
doubtedly this figure has now been
ward. His voice is harsh, he never
wastes a word, he is always cour-
teous and understanding, with time
for everyone who needs him.
doubled, but it is quality and not r (O0pyrightea Y rFeare t Si gnaieaDis i Cuted by
quantity that Sillitoe stressel. T TO31ORROW: America's Spy-
Since Britain's ace spy atther , master: Allen Welsh Dulles.
took over his job in 1946, the man
and his work have been wrapped in
secrecy. Not even the Russians
knew when Sir Percy and Gen. Be-
dell Smith met to map a ncc
When 'Bin's first atom bomb strategy against the grave diggers
.?7as exploded in Australia during of Western democracy.
-e fall of 1952, Sir Percy was even MIND READER ..
ciore proud than the scientists who
Gen. Smith was America's first
a'aually developed the weapon. One cold war intelligence chief. He has
year before the explosion he had been a confidant of three presidents:
visited Australia and personally su- Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower.
eTvised and set up intricate pre- Thanks to him, also, the Russians
i-aktlions against any possible en began to learn that they, too, could
ci,cy agent infiltration. lose spy battles.
lie knows that for some time no When Gen. Bedell Smith accepted
"oreign agent has been able to or- his post as intelligence chief, he
ceate successfully in the British ,raid:
II "ommonwealth. He has achieved r hare no illusions. I em
,pis security against the eno ices of asked no more than guess the
democracy by constant traveling most secret thoughts of Papa
l-nd on-the-spot observation, by Stalin and of God himself. Only
lightening of supervision, by ask- so far I am not convinced that
log for new spy legislation. Sir Pesident Truman is really inter-
Percy knows all the tricks used by
h e Russian secret service ested in what God has planned."
.
THE FARMER TYPE And he added:
l
h
T
he on
y t
ing, fundamentally,
The tall espionage chief of Britain which is worth knowing, is the
r now 64 and looks more like a day and hour on which the Rus-
simple farmer than a military ex- ! slans will attack. Ever thin else
pert. anr tFolr~ l if il;r9~~o~o o dsi~ra~t0e(' 0588000100100035-1
consta and police of lcu. r The general is one of the most
austere man noted for his c011711'11.1_
a?YU'P and -PngP of ilistiee-.11
colorful gentlemen America's mili-
3/