THE FEDERATED PRESS OF AMERICA. The UK element of the FEDERATED PRESS OF AMERICA...

THE FEDERATED PRESS OF AMERICA. The UK element of the FEDERATED PRESS OF AMERICA (FPA) was a business set up in London in 1923 by WN EWER to provide cover for espionage activity for the Russians. It operated until March 1928. Although established with the connivance of Carl HAESSLER of the American FPA organisation, the offices at 50 Outer Temple had negligible dealings with their notional American parent. According to EWER in 1950 only HAESSLER personally cooperated in their intelligence-related activities. Similarly the offices did virtually no bona fide journalistic work, seemingly existing purely for their espionage function. FPA London performed various tasks for the Russians, including; acting as a post box for mail from sources in French Government circles run by SLOCOMBE, whose product SLOCOMBE sent to EWER for transmission to the Russians in London; as a place of employment for a group including Arthur LAKEY which acted as a "Counter Intelligence Bureau" for the Communist Party and the Russians by obtaining information from police sources at Scotland Yard and mounting surveillance on staff and premises of the intelligence agencies; (probably) providing some military intelligence; and acting as the focal point for a courier network ferrying information and Russian money between London and Paris. Although heavily weeded in the past of much original information, the file contains numerous examples of clandestine correspondence and an explanation (probably selective in its disclosures) given by EWER at interview in 1950 of FPA activities, staff and Russian control

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