PEACE CONGRESS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 71, Issue 35, 21 November 1950, Page 3

PEACE CONGRESS

GREAT WELCOME TO DELEGATES PROPAGANDA FOR RUSSIA (Special Correspondent—N .Z.P. A.). (Rec. 8.15 a.m.) LONDON, Nov. 20. Bouquets, bands, cheering and singing greeted delegates to the Warsaw Peace Congress as they made triumphal appearances in the Polish capital through a forest of flags, banners, posters and slogans emblazened with the word “Peace” in a dozen languages. Warsaw correspondents said that, the Congress, which is nearing the end of its discussions after the abrupt transfer from Sheffield, can be regarded as impressive propaganda for Russia. All the delegates are being treated as honoured guests. They met no Customs check or frontier formality, and as soon as they arrived they were given a book of meal coupons valid at a dozen special restaurants. The congress hall is equipped with thousands of desks, each with headphones which can pick up several different languages. There are 100 square yards of cloakroom space, restaurants, press rooms, propaganda exhibitions, photographs and cartoons. Everywhere there are blue flags, white doves, floodlights and photographs of “Peace” leaders. Each delegate gets £3 sterling worth of free meals, drinks and cigarettes daily. Thoroughly Un-English The “Daily Telegraph’s” special correspondent says: “Throughout the week-end there have been scenes approaching hysteria. An orgy of speechmaking, devoted mainly to unbridled attacks on American and British ‘warmongering’ has been cheered ecstatically, not least by the British delegates. The climax came when the Russian writer, Ilya Ehrenburg, left the rostrum after an hour’s performance. His lyrical passages were interspersed with abuse of Western ‘bandits, assassins, butchers and murderers guilty of savagery and arson.’ Then hundreds of young people, many in national costume, marched along the aisles playing accordions and chanting ‘Peace! Peace! Peace!’ It was a theatrical and entirely un-Eng-lish scene.”

Correspondents descrihe the “dear old lady" from Halifax applauding with tears running down her cheeks and her voice breaking with emotion as she murmured “Wonderful! Wonderful! —and 'tis all for peace.”

DENIAL OF REPORT

NO MESSAGE BY MR NEHRU (Rec. 9.30) NEW DELHI, Nov. 20. The Indian Prime Minister, Mr Nehru’s secretariat, to-day denied a Prague radio report that he had sent a message of greeting to the Commun-ist-backed Warsaw Peace Congress. The spokesman said the report probably referred to a message sent by Mrs Uma Nehru, widow of a cousin of the Prime Minister. She is a mem'ber of the -Indian Parliament and a social worker. Mrs Nehru said to-day that Congress sponsors had asked for a message, and she had replied saying: “India is a non-violent country, and we believe in Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of non-violence.”