Thanks to the FBI

At New York's Rockland State Hospital, Dr. Robert Soblen was looked upon as a crack psychiatrist, even if a crusty one. He took a fatherly interest in the 100 mentally distressed adolescent boys in his care, saw to it that they had weekly jukebox parties, inspired them to learn trades, helped many of them to rehabilitate themselves. Respecting his professional skill, other doctors overlooked his personal quirks: a nervous temper, a streak of arrogance. Many knew but few cared that Robert Soblen was the brother and image of confessed Communist Spy Jack Soble, sentenced in 1957 to seven years in prison. But the Federal Bureau of Investigation did care.

For years the FBI tailed Dr. Soblen. He was aware of the chase and seemed to delight in it, on occasion slowing down his car so that the FBI car could catch up with him. Last week he displayed no surprise when FBI agents arrested him on a charge of wartime espionage, which could carry a death sentence. Taken to the federal courthouse in nearby Manhattan, Soblen pleaded not guilty, was jailed in lieu of $75,000 bail. Coolly he asked the judge for permission to bid farewell to "the FBI gentlemen--they were nice enough." Then he bowed from the waist and waved to the agents. Said he: "Thank you very much, gentlemen."

According to the U.S. charges, as far back as 1940, Lithuanian-born Robert Soblen and his brother Jack made a bargain with Soviet Secret Police Chief Lavrenty Beria. The deal: both men agreed to come to the U.S. and set up separate spy rings, and Beria in exchange permitted their families--some 15 persons in all--to emigrate with them. Dr. Soblen, the Government charges, procured secret documents of the World War II Office of Strategic Services, information about an "atomic-bomb project on the Northwest Coast," photographs of the Sandia nuclear-weapons development center at Albuquerque--and arranged to deliver it all to the Soviets. Along the way, Soblen made contact with Hollywood Producer and U.S. Counterspy Boris Morros, who presumably contributed evidence to the case against Soblen (as, apparently, did Brother Jack, who got off with a relatively light sentence for having talked long and loud).

Why had the FBI taken so long to nail Soblen? The FBI as usual had no comment. But presumably it wanted to gather more evidence, and had hoped to bag some co-conspirators along the way.

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