SOVIET COUNCIL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 85, 20 January 1938, Page 5

SOVIET COUNCIL

THREE IMPORTANT CHANGES. ARMY STAND AGAINST FASCISTS. READY FOR. CRUSHING BLOW. (Unitedi Press Ass Delation —Copyright.) (Received This Day, 11.10 a.in.) MOSCOW, January 19. M. Molotov was unanimously reelected chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars. With only three important changes, the other members of the Council were also re-elected, .

The changes were the dismissal of M. Krylenko (Commis*sar of Justice), the removal of M. Chudar and M. Mikoyan from the Commissarships of Finance and food. The last-named two were replaced by M. Gilensky and M. Zverev, but they will remain vicechairmen of the Council, which urged M. Vichinsky 'to redouble his efforts to stamp out the enemies of the people.

M. Molotov renounced certain foreign consulates “engaged in antiSoviet spying activities on Soviet territory.”

M. Molotov mentioned the closing of some German, Japanese and Polish consulates, and also referred to individuals and organisations engaged in anti-Soviet activity in France. He asked how they accorded with the Franco-Soviet Pact. ' " :

The Army representative said that upon M. Stalin’s orders, the Army would stand like one matt to' deliver the most crushing blow in history to Fascist aggressors on their own territory.. j \ ■ y.

At a, previous meeting M. Bagrov, a Deputy from Baku, attacked M. Krilenko, Commissar of. Justice, for not discharging his duties properly owing to too much chess-playing and mountaineering, and demanded DR Ivrilenko’s dismissal from the post. ■ 1

PARTY EXPULSIONS TO STOP,

SECRET POLICE CRITICISED. LONDON; Jan. 19.: The Moscow correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” reports that M. Stalin has halted the party purge. A decree issued to-day orders 'the cessation of expulsions from the party without investigation, and the re-ex-amination and reinstatement within 15 days of tens of thousands thus expelled! The decree also orders the punishment of malicious informers. Citing the vast number of these expulsions in recent months, the decree states that whole families have been removed without investigation by ambitious time-serving party chiefs. There is now going to he a hunt for informers instead of a hunt for 5 the Victims of informers. There lias been evidence in the press in the last few weeks of this change; of policy. Chief of these was an article by the celebrated Bolshevik journalist, Kolov, denouncing the C.G.P.U. s method of accepting informers’ unconfirmed reports. Kolov would never have dared to attack the O.G.P.G. unless he had been ordered to do so .from a high quarter.

SOVIET MINISTER! GOES HOME.

DEATH SENTENCE LIKELY

LONDON, Jan. 19

The correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” at Stockholm says that the former Soviet Minister to Norway (M. Jakuhovitch) has arrived there on his way to Moscow, where it is believed he will he sentenced to death.

: He dicided! to go to Moscow after rceiving news that hjs two sons had been arrested and threatened with death unless he returned.

minister executed.

BUDAPEST, Jan. 18

The newstpaper “Pesti Naplo” states that M. A. Bekzadian, Soviet Minister at Budapest, was executed at Moscow on January 14-