THE SINISTER SIDE, Part 5: A few reflective words from Brigadier Sir Charles Spry, Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation [ASIO], 1950-1970: Photo CLASSIFIED

2992. A short talk, 'The Need For Eternal Vigilance' by Brigardier Charles Spry.

 

Once read, for real-life spy pictures exemplifying this title - please go to THE SINISTER SIDE, Part 6, at Entry NO. 6500, here:

 

www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/8474992176/in/photostream

 

Good morning All. My name is Charles Spry, Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation [ASIO], 1950-1970. 'Silent Charles' as I understand some of my more wry contemporaries at the Royal Military College Duntroon were once pleased to call me - all folk whose own careers, of course, I was later to personally follow with great interest.

 

At the end of a long and 'interesting' career, in its pleasant now to look back on those halcyon days of the 1950s, the Cold War, when I had first taken over from Sir Geoffrey Sandford Reed, "Sandy,' nice chap, a judge and a bit of a figurehead, though. Bob Wake was the real power behind the throne in those days.

 

Well, we were having a good deal bother on the docks back then. It was an appalling situation - the waterfront was crawling with Commie Running Dogs and crooks. You may not have heard of it, but there was a tiny little destroyer down in Melbourne, the HMAS VENDETTA, that took almost 10 years to build - three times longer than the BISMARCK [one of my favourite ships, by the way]. Then the Commies sabotaged the ships' steering as it tried to get out of the dock.

 

Anyway, an interesting case that very soon came to my own attention when I took over was more sabotage, on the aircraft carrier SYDNEY over on Garden Island this time. Like everywhere else on the waterfront, the Island was crawling with Commie waterfront rats back then, all of whom were just ecstatic about what was happening in Korea. Anyway somebody had severed SYDNEY's radar cables as the ship was in a final refit before going up to there.

 

I said to Bob Menzies, 'Look Bob, we better nip this damned thing in the bud, or our babies will all be drinking Vodka in their mother's milk before the end of the year."

 

Bob totally agreed. Great Man, Bob. And it turned out that the NSW Special Branch already had a good line of enquiry going.

 

A chap named Bill Meadowlaide, posing as a commercial traveller in women's hosiery, was selling fishnet stockings and studded leather underwear to a cook off the HMAS AUSTRALIA.

Anyway, it turned out this blighter was getting it off with some Trotskyite Running Dog rigger up in the cabin of the 250 Hammerhead Crane on the Island night after night. The rigger had claimed to be an enthusiastic modelmaker, and the cook had already given him detailed plans of half our best ships as "Chrissie presents" by the time we caught up with him.

 

Anyway, it had a terrible ending. AUSTRALIA left, and Bill Meadowlaide went down to Melbourne to pick up the cook when she berthed, while one of our boys made a new 'rendezvous' with the model-making rigger, whom, sad to say, slipped and fell from the very top steps of the Hammerhead Crane just as they were getting to know each other. Spread his Trotskyite influence all over the Fitting Out wharf down below I'm afraid.

 

But, It does happen, as you've already seen.

 

Well that's it, people. As I said to young Bill Meadowlaide later - "Just put that queer cook on my payroll Bill, and we can all stamp the case 'Closed.'

 

Again, THE SINISTER SIDE, Part 6, is at Entry 6500, here:

 

www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/8474992176/in/photostream

 

Photo: CLASSIFIED.

 

 

 

 

 

Done