Friday, July 11, 2014

RUSSIAN ESPIONAGE IN AUSTRALIA CLAIM –Continuing biog of Crusading Editor,”Big Jim” Bowditch.


 
It has already  been shown  that  Australia’s  security and  intelligence organisations  took   great interest in   Editor Jim  Bowditch , his politics, movements, editorials ,   associates.  From  the  files , it is apparent that some of the authors of  Bowditch  reports  frequently  conversed  with  him.  A  senior field officer  based  in  Melbourne at the time  , who  had known Bowditch for two years  in Darwin  , in June  l960 painted an interesting picture  of the editor .
 

Bowditch, he wrote, was  living with his wife “ Beth ” and three children  - Peter , Stephen   and Noari ( sic)   .  His “ part-coloured ” wife was “ probably identical ” with  Betty Hodgson mentioned in  a l954 report.  Bowditch, he said , was   a somewhat  complex  character   , had a good  war record  and appeared devoted to  his wife  and  family. 

CHAMPIONS  PEOPLE  WITH  PROBLEMS

As a result of “ many conversations” with Bowditch , the  officer said he gained the impression  “ that he  is seeking what he considers to be a better form of society”, and was an idealist. He continued :  

Bowditch has a ready ear to listen to any person’s  problems  and seems to champion those people who, because of colour,creed or the own inability , have failed  to achieve their ambitions or  in some way been  baulked  by authority . He is  particularly  sensitive on the  colour  question,probably because his  second wife is a quadroon .  

Bowditch is easily roused and will pursue a subject in which he is interested with tenacity. His tendency  to support the underdog and/or under-privileged  is sometimes reflected in his articles in the Northern Territory News  in which he  is open in his criticism of the government and  the local administration , and possibly stems  from the time  when  he started to take  an active part in  the affairs of the Clerks’ Union and  in local politics in Alice Springs ...

Bowditch has stated to me on more than one occasion that he has, for some years, taken an  interest in politics  and has “ tried them all ” ( meaning  all political parties ).  He admitted  to us that he joined the Communist Party  of Australia  in Adelaide   in l952 to see whether communism  would prove to be the answer  to his own  idea of an ideal society ; this  apparently it was not as he  stated further  that he did not agree  with either  its  ideals or  methods and  left the party  without  ever  having  paid  his  dues...

At the time when Bowditch  admitted past membership  of the C.P.A. , it was considered unwise  to press him for further  details of the reasons  and personalities  involved  in his joining  and leaving  the party . A suitable  occasion for  following the line  did not eventuate  before I  left  Darwin ...

Concerning   the suitability of Bowditch  for a further  approach  regarding  his past  association with   the C.P.A.  and knowing the man , I consider  that  he might   not react favourably  to a direct   formal approach.  However, if  he can be induced to  raise the topic  again in general  conversation with an officer  he knows well  and trusts, there would be some  chance of success.  The  Regional Director  , Northern Territory  is cognizant  of all the facts  in this case and will no doubt exploit any opportunity  which might occur  in this regard... Bowditch now gives the impression  of being  anti-communist.”

In another paragraph, the officer said  there was no evidence at the time that  Bowditch was  overtly sympathetic to and / or connected  with  the C.P.A. Commenting on a  photograph  attached to  the  Bowditch  file , the author  of the report  said   it was a  good likeness , but his hair  was now  greying.  Another  report in l962  contained interesting statements about his   relationship with communists.  It said  that while he  appeared militant  and  a  good friend of  the Communist Party , at other times  he appeared “ very anti communist”. There was a claim that Bowditch would use the Communists  to advance news stories; politically , he could be described as  Labor  with  a left tendency.  

 CLOSE  WATCH  ON  BOWDITCH, ACTIVISTS

It would seem that  watching and reporting on   Bowditch and  Darwin’s army  of activists   was a growth industry . At public  protests  and other   meetings in Darwin   it was  not unusual  for  jokes to be made  about the identity of the ASIO man in attendance. An ASIO report  mentioned that  Robert  Wesley- Smith  publicly  speculated about  who  was the  ASIO representative  at  a meeting.      

In the  cat and  mouse game  of watching each other , Bowditch was  not averse to  ringing up  ASIO headquarters in Darwin . One such  episode  involved the l965   deporation from  Darwin   of  Englishman    Eugene   Fenton Davies  who claimed to have  been asked by Russia to engage in esponiage in Australia . Naturally,  watersiders  agitated  against the deportation  and  Bowditch was drawn into the affair ;  an intriguing  story  unfolded. Davies claimed that he had been asked  by  Russians in  Beirut to spy for them in Australia before he moved to this country .
  
Bowditch rang the  Darwin ASIO office  on April l5 and left  an interesting message which was relayed to  ASIO headquarters  in Canberra. According to a  secret  note, Bowditch  said  Davies   wished   to send  a letter   via the   office   to the   Director  General of ASIO , Colonel Spry, and copies to the  PM , Sir Robert Menzies,and   the Minister for  Immigration, Mr Hubert  Opperman .

 Bowditch was informed that  the  Darwin   office  wanted no dealings with Davies , but if a letter addressed to  Colonel Spry were  left at  the office it would be forwarded .  An hour later a  young woman from  the NT News   presented   an envelope containing three letters. The letter  to Colonel Spry  read  :  

I am writing this direct to you  now, with a copy to the Prime Minister  of Australia,  Sir Robert Menzies, and one to  Mr Opperman, Minister for  Immigration . For all I know , you may  have acquainted  the Prime Minister and Mr Opperman  with the particular facts  of my case.  I put it to you , sir, that the publicity arising from  the decision to deport  me from Australia  has placed me in  a most difficult  position.  You will recall that very soon  after my arrival in Australia  last year , I contacted  Mr McKendrick  in Darwin , and informed him of action  I had already taken in  Singapore  to alert your Government  to the  fact that  I had been asked  by the Russians  in Beirut  to spy  for them in Australia .  There seems no  point at this stage  in reiterating the story that I told  Mr McKendrick  and one of  your officers sent from Canberra  to interview me.  You decided  not to act, at least through me,on the information I gave you , but I can  assure you  it was correct in  every detail.  I will, however, reiterate  that the reason  for the  “ bears”(Russians)   approaching me   was  because  of my apparent activity against the French  in the Algerian war  situation. Your files  will show  that I informed  your people   that in fact  I was acting  for the French while  being  employed  by other people . I offered   quite sincerely  to do just  this  for  your Government while apparently being   employed by “ the “ bears. ”  I did point  out, sir, that the veracity of my story  could have been  easily checked  by going  along with  the proposition, which would have undoubtedly  resulted in  my setting up  for you  at least one  contact  with Russian   Intelligence  in your public service. The point about  all this now  is that quite obviously  whether  you wish  to make use of me or not, it would  almost  certainly  be too dangerous   in face of the publicity  I have unwillingly  received because  of what I consider  your Government’s  most ungrateful  action in  deporting me  under these circumstances.  Whatever you may think of me, I have experience in these matters , and I am quite frankly alarmed  at what  may occur if certain people  believe  I  may now talk about my reasons  for coming to  Australia.  I further put  to you to strengthen   my claims that I would  not have come to Australia  originally because of the High Court  of England’s  interest in me over  my taking out of  England  a ward of  the court- now  my  legal  wife.

 

At that stage , the last place  I wanted  to be was in a Commonwealth country .  I came here , as I told your people  in Singapore and elsewhere, to inform  you  on the proposition put to me in Beirut. However, subsequently we settled down here , and I  find it difficult  to understand why , under all the circumstances, even in the light of my record , which is not a particularly serious one, I am now  to be hounded  out of the country  after trying  to  render  very genuine   service , which probably  led to the discovery of my English past.

 
It may be that my  credit with you  waned when I put it to your officer  that I  should at least be reimbursed  for the cost  of my own and my wife’s fares from Singapore to Darwin and out again .  The  reason for this was  simply  that I had gone  to considerable  expense  to acquaint   your Government  with what I  considered   then , and still do, very  valuable  information , and  I had been  delayed  in  so  doing  by  your people  in Singapore. 
 

 On arrival  in Darwin I was  very  nearly  out of funds and because  of my difficulties  with the High Court  in England, wished then to  get my business done  with you people , and then  be flown  back again –surely a reasonable request.  I was frankly amazed  that you did not make  use of what  I told you. I was  even more  amazed  that no attempt was  made to reimburse my  substantial expense  incurred in   this  country’s  interests.
 

If the Prime Minister  and Mr Opperman  have not been made aware  to date  of these facts, and others  that  are in your possession , and still further   supporting   evidence  can be  given to you , I now ask  you to confirm  the  details  and to speak  for me  in my  bid  to remain  in Australia ...
 

 BOWDITCH  ON  THE  PHONE  TO  ASIO  AGAIN

Bowditch was on the  phone to the  Darwin  ASIO office   again on  April 24 saying   Davies had written a  story “about his   espionage  activities” and that the story would be either  published in the NT News  or sent south for publication .( The ASIO   note carried   the information that  the News was owned by the Murdoch group  of newspapers ).  Bowditch had “intimated”  that ASIO  was mentioned in the story . The  author of the ASIO  report then went on to  discredit Bowditch  saying that while he was a  good  journalist  , he    regarded  him as    completely  untrustworthy  and unscrupulous”. “ He is  not well   respected   in the Darwin   community  and has numerous convictions  for drunken  and  irresponsible   behaviour.” [Not so]

 ASIO  headquarters  in  Canberra was informed that  Bowditch  told ASIO he  knew the   “ full story” of Davies’s “ criminal activities” and his subsequent  contact with ASI0:  " Apparently   the highly  colourful  nature of  Davies’s imaginative narrative  appeals to  Bowditch’s literary senses ," wrote the  Darwin officer. NEXT: The  film makers .