Relative wants to know the truth about spy’s death
SPY Lieutenant Lionel 'Buster' Crabb
FOR more than 50 years the fate of navy diver and MI6 agent Lionel ‘Buster’ Crabb has remained a mystery.
But now a relative of the war hero – who vanished while spying on a Soviet warship during the Cold War – has called on the government to publish documents revealing the truth.
Cdr Crabb disappeared in Portsmouth Harbour on April 19, 1956, prompting an official cover-up.
When a headless body in a diving suit was discovered in Chichester Harbour the following year, it fuelled conspiracy theories.
Lomond Handley, from Poole in Dorset, says successive governments have withheld information.
She has now written to Conservative minister Jeremy Hunt asking for Cabinet documents – believed to be classified until 2057 – to be released.
‘It’s bizarre that it will be a century after it happened before we can find out the truth,’ she said.
‘First the government of the day tried to pretend he wasn’t supposed to be there, but 50 years later they finally admitted he was under orders.
‘Now it is time to get everything out in the open and tell us what he was really doing in Portsmouth Harbour.’
Well-known for his heroics in the Second World war, Cdr Crabb was highly decorated for removing mines from British warships.
When he disappeared, the Admiralty said he had been killed working on an experimental mine in Stokes Bay, Gosport.
And although this was quickly exposed as a lie, MI6 denied he had been working for them – until it was proved by documents released in 2006.
Ms Handley, whose mother was Cdr Crabb’s cousin, said this long-standing denial was an insult to his memory.
The ship involved was the Ordzhonikidze, which brought Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on a visit.
One theory is that Cdr Crabb was caught inspecting the ship’s propeller.
Ms Handley said Mr Hunt promised to refer the case to defence secretary, Dr Liam Fox.
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Comments
There are 3 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
siskinbob
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 05:18 PMWhat harm can it do to fess up now. We have a new world order in place. The old Soviet power is no more. Even the technology that he may have been inspecting will be out of date. Hey there might even be a movie in the story and perhaps the government can strike a deal over the movie rights and get some money to help bail out this bankrupt country of ours.
King Chestnut
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 12:48 PMYes I agree, even if it can't be made public at least tell the family.
Liebour 1997-2010
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 11:56 AMIt would be good to find out what happened to Cdr Crabb after all these years..... Accident or murder? ...whatever he was a true British hero.
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