BUDAPEST TRIAL RECALLED

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25932, 12 October 1949, Page 5

BUDAPEST TRIAL RECALLED

MR MANUILSKY SPEAKS IN U.N.

CARDINAL SPELLMAN SAID TO HAVE FINANCED PLOT (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) NEW YORK. Oct. 10. The Ukraine’s delegate to the United Nations to-day said that Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, gave Cardinal Mindszenty 30,000 dollars two years ago to finance a plot against the Communist regime in Hungary. The statement was made by Mr Dmitri Manuilsky, the Foreign Minister of the Ukraine, during a debate on alleged violations of fundamental freedoms in Hungary, Bulgaria, and Rumania. Mr Manuilsky told the Second Political Committee that the United States was backing what he called the revolutionary activities of the imprisoned Hungarian Primate. Mr Manuilsky said that Mr Selden Chapin, former United States Minister in Budapest, had given Cardinal Mindszenty instructions for the overthrow of the Hungarian Government. Mr Manuilsky denied that the Mindszenty trial had any connexion with religious freedom. -He said that Cardinal Mindszenty was tried “as an agent of a foreign Power trying to saddle Hungary, by the aid of American bayonets, with the discredited Hapsburgs.” He said that Cardinal Mindszenty had originated his alleged plot after meeting Archduke Otto in the United States. Mr Manuilsky said that Britain and America would like to see in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania a resurgence of Fascist power through the adoption cf similar policies to those being pursued in the Western zones of Germany. The inevitable conclusion, he said, was that, “imperialist reaction has made espionage, murder, conspiracy and other forms of malfeas- ’ ance the main arm of its struggle against the people’s democracies.”

CZECH CONTROL OF CHURCHES LAW TO OPERATE NEXT MONTH PRAGUE, October 10. The Czechoslovak Government’s bill to assume control of churches passed, without amendment, through the National Assembly’s Social and Political Committee to-day. At the same time the Archbishop of Prague (Dr. Josef Beran) called on Czech priests not to allow themselves to be “bought by the silver of Judas” into supporting the bill. In a message to priests Dr. Beran said: “Public consent to this law is treason to the teachings of Christ and the Holy Church.”

The Church statement containing Dr. Beran’s message said that 40 vicars and deaYis of Bohemia and Moravia had been arrested within the last few days for opposing the bill. The statement said that the Czech Government ' had persuaded some priests in three districts to sign documents approving the State plan for control of the churches. It declared that the Com- ; munists were using the threat of ar- [ rest to get the support of priests. The [ Church must reject the proposed bill as “anti-church, anti-social, and unjust.” The bill will go into effect on No- < vember 1. It provides for the clergy to be paid as civil servants—raising their incomes—and it gives the State power to control Church appointments. to administer Church property, and to control religious schools. MORE ARRESTS OF CZECHS REPORTS IN PRAGUE LONDON. October 10. More persons were arrested in Czechoslovakia to-day, though on a smaller scale than in the last few weeks, according to private sources in , Those arrested were mainly businessmen who have survived nationalisation—garage proprietors. tailors, and haulage contractors. There has been no official announcement of the arrests. The most widely held theory is that a general tightening up of security was ordered. In London Mrs E. Durivova. vicechairman of the Council of Czechoslovak Women and wife of the Czechoslovak Minister of Agriculture, said that reports of recent unrest in Czechoslovakia were "all nonsense.” Mrs Durivova said: “I spoke to my husband on lhe telephone three days | ago. and he said that nothing had hap- j pened.” She added that Roman [ I Catholics, manufacturers, and bankers were opposed to the Czech regime, but the great majority of the people were very satisfied. SOVIET CRITIC OF JUGOSLAVIA DR. ARUTIUNIAN SPEAKS IN U.N. (Rec. 8.50 p.m.) NEW YORK. Oct. 10. Russia to-day charged Jugoslavia j with “treason in deserting the Cominform and joining capitalism and reaction.” The attack on Jugoslavia was made by Dr. Amazasp Arutiunian, the Soviet delegate to the Economic Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, during a debate on the projected programme of assistance to under-developed areas. The Jugoslav delegate (Mr Joza Vilfan) rejoined with: “Jugoslavia has lost confidence in the Soviet Union, which has wrecked our five-year plan." JUGOSLAV DIPLOMATS IN PRAGUE PROTEST MADE AGAINST EXPULSION BELGRADE. October 10. The Jugoslav Legation in Prague has handed a Note to the Czechoslovak Government protesting at the recent expulsion of almost, all the Jugoslav diplomats in Prague and at alleged attempts by the Czech security police to terrorise them. Czech police were said to have patrolled outside the building inhabited by lhe legation officials last Thursday night, demanding the identity cards of all those entering and to have “demonstratively rattled their weapons.” when officials and their Wives and “even their small children" came out. The Note said that the expulsions wore “obviously meant to stop all the work of the Jugoslav representatives in Prague.” KAREN REBEL STRONGHOLD ATTACK BY BURMESE AIR FORCE (Rec. 7 p.m.) RANGOON, October 10. Burmese Air Force aeroplanes which bombed Toungoo, the Karen stronghold in Central Burma, scored a direct hit on the headquarters of Saw Shwo Lay, the insurgent Defence Minister, according to the Burmese Army radio. The broadcast said that 123 Karens were believed to have been killed when Air Force Spitfires attacked guerrilla concentrations near Taikkyi. a railway town about 46 miles north of Rangoon. More than 3000 Burmese were made homeless when the Karens burned 10 villages in the Irrawaddv delta district of Pyapon, said the radio.