Spy Case In U.k. (Press, 12 November 1962)
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Summary: Spy Case In U.k. (Press, 12 November 1962)
On 12 November 1962, the "Sunday Telegraph" reported that William John Vassall, a convicted Admiralty spy, was known to British diplomats in Moscow as a homosexual and that his connections with the Russians were acknowledged. Despite this knowledge, reports regarding Vassall from the British Embassy in Moscow were allegedly disregarded by the Admiralty. This has led to increasing calls for the control of service attaché staff in British embassies to be placed under the authority of the Foreign Office. The controversy surrounding Vassall is expected to escalate with a Labour motion of censure that will be debated in the House of Commons the following week, requesting the establishment of an independent inquiry into the incident. If it is confirmed that Vassall’s conduct had been reported to the embassy, his subsequent appointments within naval intelligence and the Civil Lord’s office would seem difficult to justify. Additionally, the "People" newspaper made connections between the Vassall case and the unsolved murder of an Admiralty clerk, Norman Rickard, who was found dead in February. Reports suggest that Rickard, who was also known to be homosexual, was working as an informant for Admiralty security on homosexuals in government when he was murdered. Speculations have arisen that Rickard may have been killed by a Russian assassin to conceal his investigation into Vassall, which the publication described as possibly orchestrated to appear as a sex-related crime. Rickard’s body was discovered in a wardrobe, restrained and strangled, raising suspicions about the motives behind his death. In other news, a Vietnamese airliner was reported missing, which was unaccounted for with 18 passengers and three crew members aboard. The aircraft, a two-engine DC3 belonging to South Vietnam's national airline, lost contact with air traffic control shortly after taking off from Hue. This incident occurred approximately 400 miles north of Saigon and adds to the day's significant headlines.
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