MI5 SECRETS 'SPURNED BY THE KGB'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96B01172R000300020040-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 28, 2005
• Sequence Number: 40
• Publication Date: April 11, 1984
• Content Type: NSPR

MM 15 SECRETS
"SPURNED--
BY THE KGB
Spy was left out
in the cold, says
By IAN HENRY Old Bailey Correspondent
THE K G B turned down the chance of
acquiring a hoard of British 'satiets.7
by totally ignoring three, offers:.erom -, pp
disillusioned MIS man to' spy' for 'them,'an
Old Bailey jury was told yesterday.. r
Michael Bettaney, a middle-ranking
counter-espionage agent, was said to have,,,,
made three midnight visits to the' Londoti'
home of a Russian Embassy offjcial:to deliver,t
letters offering his services.
Two of the letters .included -copies of
secret poi'ters, the. Attorney General,
Michael H.aters,QC, told the trial. 'But.; the
Russian, whom Bettaney believed was a senior,
K G B man, made no
attempt to develop the
contact.
Bettaney was. about to
fly to Vienna to try hi,luck
with the K G B there when
he 'was arrested, said Sir
Michael.
Too secret /or
Hovers to see
And it was only when
Special Branch writ searched
his home in Cnulsdon, Surrey,
^" """' 1610 masked sill, wooden -
Sir Michael said that snow nt? A scrambler telephone Ito '~a 11
the material is so sensitive that IV lite hall has been iostalicd!?tt-
it will r; t he shown to ill, a inched and guarded room, and,
jun.-"indeed, I have not even all witnesses, including security
seen it myself. srrvi ce officials will enter and
You will appreciate that k?.avr. court in the judge's
there a retain matters ohm Ii entrance.
it sirlplyc rannol he in Ihr, The rourl is being repeatedly
national into rest to pass round, s nerved by security technicians
even to mr." lur an' Lo aging devices
Iris of Ihrsr dncumru!s tr, Itetl.mrp, a plump-faced 33-
thr Il us.ians s,uu ld ha,, done > r'nld tlc ford graduate 'who
grave rlamacr In mite nalioui. ens in Ile security services for
ould br abir to sec soar
material, ingnding the "Russian
order of battle in Landon."
SECRETS
By IAN HENRY
Continued from Page One
traitor George, 'Blake was
jailed in 1961 at the Old Bailey--
The Attorney {;sacral
Bcuauey made three visits last
spring and summer to they
hunk of Arkadi Vasilyrvich
(took,' who was a first secretary-
at Ihr Soviet Embassy.
The first teller he left said
he had information which would
l be of special interest to the
central committee of the K G It.
As well as including secrets,
he gave details of a cmnplical:d
,lead letter-b.,, system to be
srd for the deliveries of or
the, classified information.
If the Russians were inter
riled, they were to lace a
drawing pin in a certain bannis
u,r rail at Piccadilly Tube
Sir Michael said That in
response, Bettaney would wrap
adhesive tape round a phone I
ral,le in a specified c II-bos tf
Oslord Street to signify that he
was ready.
Bc would then leave a film
canister taped to the lid of
the cistern in the Rents' lavo-
tore at the Academy Cinema
in Word Street.
An' alternative system
rotved a pin stuck in a has
timetable an a stop in holland
Park Avenue, and secrets left'
to a Carlsberg lager can beside
a lamp-past in Greenford, The
Russians were to signal receipt
by teap+pg orange peel outside
a park nhae' Euston station.
But, the jury was told, the
Russians gave no sign of
interest. Even when Bettaney-
according to Sir Michael -
phoned Gouk ate a prearranged
time, nobody answered.
DENIAL BY.RUSSIANS
So-called' case
OUR DteLOM.Tic STAFF writes:
The Soviet pEmbassy yesterday
emphatically denied that any
of Its employees had ever had
any form of contact with
A statement said! " The
Soviet Embassy categoricsNy
rejects any, insinuation-with
regard to the so-called Bettaney
mss, and strongly states that
one of the Soviet officials
knew Bettaney, none got I.
touch with him, or received any ,
materials from him.
"An uttenspt by somet
circles to link the ".-a Wed net-:
taney. case with the.-Soviet l
Embassy has obviously been
provoked by Blirltentionedvpur-I
poses and is aimed at damaging
the normal development of the
Soviet.British relations." ,
'I'hr bust of nrtlane v-said ,
by Sir :tiiehary In ha,,,. brrn ,'I nOnring his services to the
ready to sp. becur.ve of idea- Iussians. Planning a dead
toe_ieal, not financial, r uu - Inter-bas rtrlivery system, and
is bring held lid sec:recv~ . copying verrcts.
prececknled in English Para Planked ill the dark by.three
time legal hint ory. i,on afBcr r.1. he mad
I nllowinc
a 58-minute. sub c :cavion at. notes, poor' ien
ng
line ipublic by Sir Mich ael, through ssire-rimmed glasss,
the urhoaring cnminor,l Aortae Sir Michael's opening
ea area with Press and public 015,'v, at.
rxcluded. He is the first 5115 man ever
The rest of the trial, to be brought to trial on spying
expected to last about a week, charges. No case has been
will be held in secret. hold in such secre cy since the
't'ile court is lockeil, and the Continued on Back 'P, Cot 3
Approved For Release 2005/08/03 CIA-RDP96B01172R000300020040-4