-Caveat Lector- MI6 used Spectator as cover story http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/Sunday-Times/frontpage.html?1121757 December 20 1998 London Sunday Times by David Leppard and Nicholas Rufford BRITISH intelligence officers claimed to be journalists from The Spectator magazine as a cover while working in Russia and Eastern Europe. At least three officers from MI6, the overseas intelligence agency, while working undercover in Bosnia, Belgrade and Moldova were instructed to claim that they were working for the right-wing political weekly magazine while on assignments. The officers used the guise to gain access to potential intelligence sources and to pass their findings back to the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in London. There is no suggestion that Dominic Lawson, then the magazine's editor, knew about the arrangement. The disclosure follows allegations made in parliament last week that Lawson, now editor of The Sunday Telegraph, was a paid MI6 agent. The claim has caused a sensation in national newspapers and the intelligence community, although it has been denied by Lawson and by the Foreign Office. Rosa Monckton, Lawson's wife, said that it was ludicrous to suggest her husband was a "spy". However, Lawson does have a close family connection with the Foreign Office. Algy Cluff, chairman of The Spectator for 21 years, said the assertion was "far-fetched" and "astonishing". He added: "I think he is too intelligent to allow himself to become involved in that sort of activity." However, Cluff said it would be perfectly acceptable for Lawson to have co-operated with the intelligence services on an unpaid basis. "I do not think there is anything disreputable about it at all," he said. "If the allegation is not true, it is not true. But if it was, I think I would very likely be supportive, if he was genuinely sharing with the government information which he could not print. That might have happened for all I know, but I am sure he was never paid or asked to be a sort of runner for the government." One of Britain's most successful entrepreneurs, Cluff has oil and mining interests in some of the most turbulent parts of the world, including Africa. He has been an influential fundraiser for the Conservative party. Richard Tomlinson, the renegade MI6 officer now living in Switzerland, first suggested that Lawson had links with MI6 earlier this year. The Sunday Times is prevented by a court injunction obtained under the Official Secrets Act from publishing such information. However, it is understood that Tomlinson never claimed to have any hard proof that Lawson was a paid agent. It is understood that he now accepts that the claim was "hearsay" and based on conversations with colleagues. Intelligence experts said it would not be impossible for Lawson to be recruited. "There is a long tradition of spies working for The Spectator," said Rupert Allason, the intelligence historian. Tongue firmly in cheek, he added: "In fact, I would be astonished if you could find someone working at The Spectator who has not been an intelligence officer." Spectator writers who also worked for the intelligence services include Graham Greene, the novelist, Malcolm Muggeridge, the broadcaster, and Anthony Blunt, the art expert and traitor. One former MI6 officer dismissed claims that Lawson was paid. "The question we would ask is: can you trust a journalist to keep a secret? I think many of us thought they were just too dodgy," he said. Gonzo Links Your Online Guide to Millennial America http://www.netcom.com/~lucio/ DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
