Tuesday, October 15, 2013

PETROV FLASHBACK : DOUGLAS LOCKWOOD WORLD SCOOP

(In  response   to  the recent  Little Darwin  post  MYSTERY SINGAPORE  POSTCARD  LINK WITH  SPIES , HEMINGWAY ,  which   included   the  rescue  of  Mrs  Petrov  from  her  Russian  guards at  Darwin Airport , Melbourne  journalist  Kim Lockwood  sent  the  following  account of  his  father’s  involvement  in  the  dramatic event.)   
Journalist , author  Douglas Lockwood 
On  the  night of 19 April 1954, Melbourne Herald group NT reporter  Douglas Lockwood's phone rang. It was a friendly local official. Did Lockwood know Mrs Petrov was on her way to Darwin? Yes, he  did.  It  rang again. Did  he know the Prime Minister had told the Acting NT Administrator, Reg Leydin, to offer her political asylum when she arrived? No. Lockwood drove around town. Lights were burning  in unexpected government offices.
 
He set an alarm clock for 4am. Before going to bed he sent a telegram to his Melbourne office: "Phone  me every  half  hour  after  6am."

He  later said that  was one  of  the  wisest, or luckiest, things  he ever did. A few hours later other  journalists  trying frantically to get calls through to Sydney or Melbourne on lines jammed with  priority  government traffic had  to  watch and listen helplessly as  Lockwood dictated the complete story. His Melbourne office was  able to ring him on the reverse circuit, but  he  couldn't   ring  them.

Distressed  Mrs  Petrov  being  hustled to  plane  in Sydney
The BOAC Constellation landed. During the flight Mrs Petrov had told hostess Joyce Bull that her guards were armed. Captain John Davys radioed the information to Darwin. As the Constellation came to a halt, armed Darwin police grouped around Leydin and Crown Law Officer Keith Edmunds. The four Russians - Mrs Petrov and her guards, Valery Karpinsky and Fedor Zharkov, with Embassy second secretary F.V. Kislitsin - were last off  the  plane. 
 
Leydin approached Mrs Petrov to offer her asylum. As he did so, Karpinsky and Zharkov tried to intervene, but Edmunds and the policemen got between  them. Zharkov struck at Edmunds with his briefcase. He was grabbed by Constables Gordon Raabe and Tom Hollow and disarmed by Inspector Bill McKinnon. Karpinsky put his hand inside his coat, but was instantly grabbed from behind by Sergeant Gregory Ryall, 6ft 1in and 16 stone. Ryall's arms were locked under the Russian's throat. Constables  Lionel  McFarland and Ted  Davis relieved him of  his   gun.

Later the Russians alleged Ryall had assaulted Karpinsky, and Lockwood asked what he  thought of  that. "What did they expect me to do?" Ryall asked in return. "Shake hands  with  the  guy? He  had  a  gun  and was  reaching  for  it."

Leydin was in earnest conversation with Mrs Petrov, trying to establish if she wanted asylum. She kept repeating she had no need to stay because her family was in Russia and  her husband was dead , killed by  his  Australian "kidnappers".

Kislitsin approached Leydin to protest about interference in Russian domestic affairs. Leydin adroitly countered by offering him asylum, and assuring him proper arrangements could be made for his safety. Kislitsin clearly thought it over, but decided not to desert his country.

An hour went by. Lockwood was called to the phone and dictated a story to Melbourne on what had happened so far. A planeload of passengers keen to get to Singapore and places beyond were becoming impatient. Leydin approached Mrs Petrov again and asked if  she would like to talk to her  husband by  phone. "Dead men don't talk," she said.

Leydin signalled a security officer to get Vladimir Petrov on the phone. Petrov was waiting in his secret hideout in NSW for just such a call. The Russians insisted the call be taken in public, so everyone could hear, but since Mrs Petrov spoke only in Russian the only word Lockwood could understand was "Nyet!" She hung up and walked towards Leydin with her back turned  to everyone else. "That was not my  husband," she  said loudly. And winked.

Leydin's  expression  didn't  change. "Well then, Mrs Petrov, I will leave you now," he said, and turned away. As if by afterthought he turned back and touched her on the arm. "Would you like to sit in my office for a moment and have a short chat?" "Yes, yes," she said. "A short conversation." She followed Leydin into a nearby office, where she insisted the doors be closed. "Those guns would have been used," she said. "Get me out of here."

Not knowing what  was  happening behind  the closed doors, Lockwood was on another call to Melbourne when Kislitsin walked over to eavesdrop. "Rubbish," he said. "Lies." Lockwood adopted his most diplomatic manner: "Shut up!"Crown Law Officer   Keith Edmunds approached and gave Lockwood a dig in the ribs." Go away, Keith, I'm dictating."

Edmunds poked Lockwood in the ribs again, winked, turned to Kislitsin and said: "I have to inform you on behalf of the Australian government that Mrs Petrov has accepted political asylum in this country. She will not be rejoining your aircraft."Lockwood yelled "Hold the line" into the phone, double-checked what he had just heard with Edmunds, and started again: "All right Melbourne, here is a new story. Mrs Evdokia Petrov decided here today to remain in Australia." He continued dictating a story that  was soon on  the front  pages  of  newspapers  all  over  the  world. 

Thereafter the wires sang with official calls only. Lockwood's frustrated colleagues from opposing papers and agencies had to lodge their stories by press telegram - a laborious business that meant driving into town to the  post office.  Lockwood had , perhaps inadvertently, perhaps not, applied Rule No. 1 for journalists working in the field: "The first  thing you do is set up  your lines of communication. Then, and only then , chase  the   story."
 
FOOTNOTE : The photograph of Sergeant  Ryall  with his  hold on the Russian guard was  flashed  worldwide  and  featured in  the  mass circulation  American publication , Life , with  the caption...This  move  saved Mrs  Petrov : 'A good country cop' clamps stranglehold on armed guard .