The King had honoured his undertakings to Germany with regards to the Italian African Empire.
The small group of Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean Sea, which had been occupied by Italy since 1912 following their war with Turkey, were to be ceded to Greece.
In Albania the police, army and civil administration had been reinforced and the jails were already full of convicted or suspected communists. The Communist Party of Albania had been greatly weakened, perhaps irretrievably so. At the same time an improved agricultural regime was announced, as well as plans for industrial expansion.
The Ministry of Defence would be finished with their comprehensive review of the Italian armed forces by the following month. As expected they had tried to procrastinate, only to be told by the King to resign immediately if they thought they were not up to the task. This threat had the desired effect.
The greatest problems of all; economic, judicial, and social reforms, were now being addressed, and certain measures could be introduced quickly. However nobody was under any illusion that the country could be transformed overnight.
The following week Germany released the first tranche of the loan requested by Italy.
The German Foreign Minister had also called in the Yugoslavia Ambassador. His message was simple. Curb the communists in your country, especially where they interfere with Albania. Or face the consequences.
Interestingly, the Ambassador broached the subject of Yugoslavia joining the European Alliance. In a frank discussion von Altendorf informed the Ambassador that the only three countries in southern Europe outside of the Alliance were Italy, Greece and Yugoslavia. Italy was now making a serious attempt to reform its economy and society, after which they could apply to join the Alliance. Greece was at this time, not considered eligible for membership.
Germany would very much like to see Yugoslavia in a similar position to Italy. However, in their case, the diverse ethnicity of its peoples and the animosity between them, raised serious doubts about the country’s long-term stability. He could only repeat what had been told to the Italians. Put your house in order and we can talk.
The Ambassador knew only too well what his country’s problems were. He could only relay the German’s comments to his government.
Sir Anthony Eden had been reappointed Foreign Secretary by the re-elected Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. After von Altendorf’s investiture, Eden had lost no time in letting Churchill into the secrets that the Germans had uncovered and disclosed to him. Churchill was in a cold fury that such trusted men could betray their country. They would be dealt with after the election!
Now that they remained in government, they could make their plans. Absolute secrecy was paramount. Trusted men at MI6, MI5 and the Foreign Office were newly appointed, apparently as part of a staff restructure following the appointment of a new government. Their brief was to look for evidence of foul play and spy on the alleged traitors.
The disclosures from the Germans helped to guide them in their search for incriminating evidence. Their methods were unobtrusive but diligent. It took only three weeks before they had confirmation of the treachery of the named officials. There were indications that a fifth highly placed person may be involved, but nothing concrete was found. Somebody had been very successful at covering their tracks!
Churchill and Eden discussed the matter with the Attorney-general, and a course of action was decided on. It was deemed in the national interest that there would be no public trial.
Three of the spies, Burgess, Philby and Blunt, were known to be homosexuals and lived alone. They would be abducted quietly during the night and they would leave notes to a friend or two that would explain their sudden ‘holidays’. The fourth spy, MacLean was married. It was, however, suspected that his wife was aware of her husband’s activities, even if she was not directly a spy herself. They would both be arrested.
The police Special Branch duly carried out their instructions and the five people simply ‘disappeared’ one night.
The morning after the arrests, the now thoroughly miserable and frightened spies were awakened early by their guards in the safe house where they were incarcerated. It was an old country mansion on the outskirts of London. The cellars had been converted into secure and soundproof cells. None of them knew that their fellow traitors were their cell neighbours.
There was no cruelty. But their lives were now extremely dreary and uncomfortable. The cells were not excessively cold, but they were definitely cool. The basic steel furniture allowed no relaxation, even in bed. Lighting was subdued, but reading material was banned anyway. Food was adequate but bland, and no tea or coffee, only water.
Every day, sometimes twice a day, they would be taken from their cell for questioning by interrogators. Their job was to ascertain what damage they had done, and if they had any useful intelligence they could give up. The traitors were individually assured in no uncertain terms, that unless they became very valuable, very quickly, to His Majesty’s Government, they would be living as troglodytes for the rest of their lives. They had chosen to turn their back on their country. They could not complain about their current circumstances.
Maclean and his wife Melinda, were in separate cells but allowed to meet for fifteen minutes each day under the supervision of a guard. It was thought that Melinda would break first. She came from a wealthy family and was used to luxury and comfort. But it was her husband who offered a deal after only five days. He was motivated, he claimed, by wanting to protect his wife from further suffering.
In exchange for the promise that he and his wife would be allowed to flee to Russia, he would tell all he knew. The offered deal was accepted. Over the next sixty days he was mercilessly grilled until his interrogators were finally convinced he was hiding nothing. They had sucked him dry of all useful information.
Based on some of the information obtained from Maclean, they were able trick Blunt into believing they now knew everything. He was in tears when he asked what sort of deal he could expect if he spilled the beans. All he wanted was to be allowed to live quietly on his own, in his London apartment. He had nothing further to hide and had no objection to them monitoring his every waking moment. He was a broken man.
It took another month before Philby gave in and co-operated in exchange for the promise of repatriation to Russia. And into Stalin’s steely, welcoming embrace.
Burgess didn’t break. He went slowly mad, and was eventually declared insane and locked away in an asylum for the rest of his life.
Churchill and Eden thought the traitors were treated lightly. They deserved to be hung!
The Foreign Minister had little of importance to tell the Council. The only thing of note was that the Americans were still proceeding, albeit slowly, with their idea of a ‘United Nations’. Support around the world ranged from enthusiasm to outright hostility. Most of the enthusiasm coming from world’s least important, prosperous or progressive nations. Germany’s position remained unchanged — disinterest. Within the European Alliance there was little support for the idea.