Knowledge (XXG)

Walter Seddon Clayton

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184:— Australian biochemist whose cousin George Legge, who worked for the political intelligence section of the External Affairs department, claimed he had set up a meeting with Clayton, where George Legge was asked to provide guidance for the CPA's foreign policy. Jack Legge, a communist, and friend of Clayton, worked in chemical weapons research during WW2, and denied this meeting had taken place. 172:— A New Zealand migrant who worked at the Department of External Affairs and who is suspected of passing classified documents to the Soviets in the 1940s under the code-name "BUR". Milner defected to Czechoslovakia in July 1950 shortly after MI5 interrogated James Frederick Hill in London. Hill was working with Milner at the Department of External Affairs at the time. 153: 121:
Fearing that Clayton was about to defect to the Soviet Union, the Menzies government arranged for the cancellation of his and his wife's passports the day before they were due to depart Australia. According to Clayton's wife, Peace Joy Clayton, the two had progressed plans to migrate permanently to
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Convinced that Clayton was the mastermind behind the Soviet intelligence network in Australia, ASIO retaliated against Clayton with Operation Pigeon, in an effort to get him to confess or to find others who would provide the much needed evidence of his treachery. In 1957, ASIO ramped up pressure on
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In the mid-1950s, Clayton had fallen out of favour with the senior members of the CPA. Having failed in his attempt to defect to the Soviet Union, Clayton moved to a small home in Salt Ash, near Nelson Bay on the NSW coast. There he purchased a small fishing boat and became known as the "Snapper
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Incensed by the Great Depression of the 1930s, Clayton joined the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) in 1933 where he quickly moved up the ranks. Clayton was well known for his public "soap box" appearances and was arrested in 1938 for protesting against a visit to Australia by a Nazi yachtsman.
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Clayton migrated from New Zealand to Australia in 1930 and joined the Communist Party of Australia in 1933. He quickly moved up the ranks within the CPA, becoming responsible for the organisation and operation of the undercover and clandestine apparatus for the CPA while the party was outlawed.
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Clayton was also "nabbed" during a police raid shortly after the CPA was declared illegal (in June 1940). Clayton was kept under investigation for his connections with the CPA. However, he went underground and was rarely seen again until his appearance at the
178:— The former head of the Department of External Affairs during the time Ian Milner was allegedly passing classified documents to the Soviets. Burton is suspected of providing 'top-cover' for Milner's espionage activities. 72:
While never charged with espionage or treason, Clayton was believed to be the Soviet spymaster code-named 'KLOD', who coordinated a network of spies in Canberra during the 1940s and early 1950s. According to
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One of the decrypted Venona reports indicates that Clayton was embarrassed when paid for information that he provided in 1945. Clayton explained to his Soviet handler that he passed information for 'duty'.
64:. Some time in the 1940s, Clayton became a member of the CPA's Central Control Commission, which was responsible for internal discipline and the clandestine operations of the party. 85:
program, KLOD received classified (and some not-so-classified) documents and information from a network of about 10 spies and passed this information to his Soviet handlers.
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Clayton spent most of the 1940s and 1950s underground, playing a game of cat and mouse with the police and officers of the Australia's newly formed security service (ASIO).
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Clayton was kept under ASIO surveillance throughout the 1950s and 1960s as part of Operation Pigeon. This surveillance may have even extended into the 1970s and 1980s.
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Suspecting that Clayton might rendezvous with a Soviet submarine off the NSW coast, ASIO had reportedly even recruited the services of local fishermen in the
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affair. At the inquiry, Clayton denied ever having met anyone from the Soviet embassy and could not recall having met either Jim Hill or
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Aaron Fox, "The Pedigree of Truth: Western Intelligence Agencies versus Ian Frank George Milner and William Ball Sutch" (2003)
98: 61: 23:(CPA) in the 1930s and 1940s and suspected of being the Australian-based Soviet spymaster code-named 'KLOD', although the 47:
Clayton was born in New Zealand before settling in Melbourne, Australia in 1931, where he sold bags and goods wholesale.
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Other individuals in place in the Australian Government and suspected of involvement with Clayton, include:
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were not able to provide any conclusive evidence of this for fear of tipping off the Soviets that their
109:. Clayton mocked ASIO by going back into hiding shortly after his appearance at the Royal Commission. 379: 364: 342: 82: 201: 247: 310: 158: 358: 102: 181: 32: 268: 169: 148: 106: 19:(24 March 1906 – 22 October 1997) was a key organiser of the 269:"AUSTRALIA'S COLD WAR: Australia's Kim Philby? The case of Dr John Burton" 74: 78: 244:'Encyclopaedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations' 97:
In May 1954, Clayton briefly emerged from hiding to appear at the
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was being deciphered and read by Western intelligence agencies.
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The Royal Commission on Espionage, 1954-1955 / by M.G.L. Dunn
289:"Peace, for the party and 'betterment of the whole world'" 312:"Book reveals Russian informer spy at Port Stephens" 304: 302: 267: 261: 259: 238: 236: 234: 232: 101:, which was the government's response to the 25:Australian Security Intelligence Organisation 8: 212: 210: 242:Trahair, Richard C. S.; Miller, Robert L. 141:King" while fishing at Broughton Island. 194: 287:Fitzgerald, Ross (24 September 2011). 132:area to monitor his movements at sea. 341:Dunn, Michael Gawett Levinge (1979). 7: 385:Communist Party of Australia members 217:Ball, Desmond (24 September 2011). 375:New Zealand emigrants to Australia 14: 266:Chapple, Angus (30 April 2011). 151: 219:"The spy who came out as Klod" 1: 99:Royal Commission on Espionage 93:Royal Commission on Espionage 309:Connell, Tim (6 July 2010). 21:Communist Party of Australia 401: 347:(Thesis thesis). Adelaide. 321:Australian Community Media 122:the USSR from April 1957. 204:. Retrieved 22 June 2015 62:Petrov Royal Commission 51:Communist Party career 246:(Enigma Books, 2013) 27:(ASIO) and Britains' 17:Walter Seddon Clayton 317:The Newcastle Herald 118:Clayton to confess. 83:counterintelligence 81:', a United States 43:Early life and work 392: 349: 348: 338: 332: 331: 329: 327: 314: 306: 297: 296: 284: 278: 277: 271: 263: 254: 240: 227: 226: 214: 205: 199: 161: 159:Biography portal 156: 155: 154: 113:Operation Pigeon 400: 399: 395: 394: 393: 391: 390: 389: 355: 354: 353: 352: 340: 339: 335: 325: 323: 308: 307: 300: 286: 285: 281: 265: 264: 257: 241: 230: 216: 215: 208: 200: 196: 191: 157: 152: 150: 147: 138: 115: 95: 70: 53: 45: 12: 11: 5: 398: 396: 388: 387: 382: 377: 372: 367: 357: 356: 351: 350: 333: 298: 293:The Australian 279: 255: 228: 223:The Australian 206: 193: 192: 190: 187: 186: 185: 179: 173: 163: 162: 146: 143: 137: 134: 114: 111: 94: 91: 69: 66: 52: 49: 44: 41: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 397: 386: 383: 381: 378: 376: 373: 371: 368: 366: 363: 362: 360: 346: 345: 337: 334: 322: 318: 313: 305: 303: 299: 294: 290: 283: 280: 275: 270: 262: 260: 256: 253: 252:9781936274253 249: 245: 239: 237: 235: 233: 229: 224: 220: 213: 211: 207: 203: 198: 195: 188: 183: 180: 177: 174: 171: 168: 167: 166: 160: 149: 144: 142: 135: 133: 131: 130:Port Stephens 126: 123: 119: 112: 110: 108: 104: 100: 92: 90: 86: 84: 80: 76: 67: 65: 63: 57: 50: 48: 42: 40: 36: 34: 33:cable traffic 30: 26: 22: 18: 370:Soviet spies 343: 336: 324:. Retrieved 316: 292: 282: 273: 243: 222: 197: 164: 139: 127: 124: 120: 116: 96: 87: 77: from ' 71: 58: 54: 46: 37: 16: 15: 380:1997 deaths 365:1906 births 274:News Weekly 176:John Burton 359:Categories 189:References 182:Jack Legge 170:Ian Milner 136:Later life 107:Ian Milner 68:Espionage 326:24 April 145:See also 75:decrypts 250:  103:Petrov 79:Venona 328:2020 248:ISBN 29:MI5 361:: 319:. 315:. 301:^ 291:. 272:. 258:^ 231:^ 221:. 209:^ 330:. 295:. 276:. 225:.

Index

Communist Party of Australia
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
MI5
cable traffic
Petrov Royal Commission
decrypts
Venona
counterintelligence
Royal Commission on Espionage
Petrov
Ian Milner
Port Stephens
Biography portal
Ian Milner
John Burton
Jack Legge
Aaron Fox, "The Pedigree of Truth: Western Intelligence Agencies versus Ian Frank George Milner and William Ball Sutch" (2003)


"The spy who came out as Klod"




ISBN
9781936274253


"AUSTRALIA'S COLD WAR: Australia's Kim Philby? The case of Dr John Burton"
"Peace, for the party and 'betterment of the whole world'"

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