AUSTRALIA A FRIEND OF MISS X TO HIS AUSTRALIAN ACQUAINTANCES, SOVIET EMBASSY 
FIRST SECRETARY IVAN FEODOROVICH SKRIPOV SEEMED A LIKABLE SORT, AS SOVIET 
DIPLOMATS GO . HE WAS A GOOD TALKER, AN ENTHUSIASTIC PARTYGOER 
AND A BACK-SLAPPING PRACTICAL JOKER WHO OFTEN LACED HIS GUESTS' BEER 
WITH VODKA, GUFFAWING WHEN THEY CAUGHT ON . BUT AMIABLE IVAN 
WAS MORE THAN A SPOOFER . HE WAS ALSO A SPY 
. HIS ESCAPADES BEGAN EARLY IN 1961, WHEN HE MET A 
TRIM YOUNG WOMAN IDENTIFIED ONLY AS " MISS X " AT 
THE ZOO IN SYDNEY'S TARONGA PARK AND RECRUITED HER AS A 
SOVIET AGENT . SHE SEEMED WILLING, BUT TO TEST HER TRUSTWORTHINESS, 
HE CONDUCTED A COUPLE OF TESTS, FEEDING HER MONEY $592 IN 
ALL AND HANDING HER MINOR ASSIGNMENTS . ONCE SHE HAD TO 
PICK UP A SMALL CYLINDER CONCEALED IN A WATER METER ; 
ANOTHER TIME SHE FOUND ONE HIDDEN IN THE IRON RAILING OF 
A STAIRWAY . THE BLACK CROSS . SKRIPOV THEN SENT HER 
A LETTER WRITTEN IN INVISIBLE INK AND SIGNED " THERESA . 
/ WITH CHEMICAL CAPSULES FURNISHED BY SKRIPOV, MISS X BROUGHT THE 
WRITING OUT, LEARNED THAT SHE WAS TO PICK UP A PARCEL 
CONCEALED UNDER A TOMBSTONE IN A CEMETERY, " THE THIRD FROM 
THE ONE WITH A BLACK CROSS WITH THE LETTERS IHS . 
" CONVINCED BY NOW THAT MISS X WAS TRUSTWORTHY, HE HANDED 
HER A BIG JOB . SHE WAS TO DELIVER A PAPER-WRAPPED 
PARCEL TO A MAN IN ADELAIDE WHO WOULD IDENTIFY HIMSELF WITH 
A PASSWORD . WHAT SKRIPOV DID NOT KNOW WAS THAT MISS 
X HAD BEEN WORKING FOR AUSTRALIAN INTELLIGENCE ALL ALONG, AND SHE 
SIMPLY TURNED THE PARCEL OVER TO GOVERNMENT AGENTS . INSIDE THEY 
FOUND CODED TRANSMISSION TIMETABLES FOR A SOVIET RADIO STATION, ALONG WITH 
A SMALL, HIGH-SPEED RADIO MESSAGE SENDER . AFTER WAITING TWO ANXIOUS 
MONTHS FOR MISS X TO CARRY OUT HER TASK, SKRIPOV LAST 
WEEK LEARNED WHAT HAD GONE WRONG . THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT SENT 
A NOTE TO THE EMBASSY ORDERING HIM OUT OF THE COUNTRY 
IN SEVEN DAYS FOR HAVING MADE " ELABORATE PREPARATIONS FOR ESPIONAGE 
. / AUSTRALIAN OFFICIALS WOULD NOT SAY WHAT SECRETS SKRIPOV HAD 
BEEN SEEKING, BUT LAST WEEK THOUSANDS OF WORKERS AT THE BIG 
WOOMERA MISSILE RANGE SOME 750 MILES FROM CANBERRA WERE UNDERGOING INTERROGATION 
. LOVABLE DIPLOMAT . AUSTRALIA'S SWIFT EXPULSION OF SKRIPOV IS UNDERSTANDABLE 
. IN 1954, MVD COLONEL VLADIMIR PETROV, WHO ALSO HAD BEEN 
POSING AS A LOVABLE DIPLOMAT, DEFECTED TO THE WEST WITH AN 
ARMFUL OF SECRET DOCUMENTS THAT DESCRIBED WIDESPREAD SOVIET SNOOPING OPERATIONS DOWN 
UNDER . CAUGHT RED-HANDED, THE RUSSIANS BROKE OFF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS, DID 
NOT REOPEN THEIR CANBERRA EMBASSY FOR FIVE YEARS . THIS TIME, 
AUSTRALIA HAD EQUALLY CONVINCING PROOF 25 PHOTOS TAKEN OF SKRIPOV'S MEETINGS 
WITH MISS X . FOR THE MOMENT, THERE WAS NO TALK 
OF A NEW BREAK-OFF IN RELATIONS . MOSCOW PRUDENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT 
SKRIPOV'S BOSS, AMBASSADOR IVAN F . KURDIUJOV, HOME ON SICK LEAVE, 
WOULD NOT BE RETURNING TO AUSTRALIA . 