News of the Week
FROM the new White Paper on the Russian arrests emerges a strangely mingled picture of incom- petence, fanaticism and intimidation. The charges against the accused engineers are specified, and regarding one or two allegations of bribery Mr. Monkhouse and Mr. Thornton have made some admissions. These, of course, are all relatively trivial matters. It seems clear now that there is no charge against the Metropolitan-. Vickers Company as such, but only against individuals among its employees. That is worth noting in connexion with the statement of the chairman of the company, Sir Felix Pole, that the Soviet Government -has always been strictly regular in its payments, an instalment due since the arrests having been punctually paid, That rather disposes of the idea that the aim of the Soviet authorities is to find an excuse for repudiating their indebtedness. Much the most disturbing feature of the White Paper disclosures is the suggestion that one of the engineers, Mr. Macdonald,- had turned " King's evidence " under prolonged cross- examination. But, with a trial in open court just beginning, it is idle to speculate on the basis. of Soviet versions of the preliminaries. There are some signs that the Public Prosecutor was ready to talk reasonably with Mr. Monkhouse, but that affords no sort of basis for any prediction as to the probable course of the proceedings in court. Despite her anger at the British Embargo Bill Russia has no reason to court new antagonisms and a face-saving verdict seems the most likely outcome.
