Threat By O.A.S. To Kill De Gaulle

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29763, 5 March 1962, Page 13

Threat By O.A.S. To Kill De Gaulle

(N.Z.P .A •Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, March 4. The French Secret Army Organisation, 0.A.5., yesterday served notice of death on President de Gaulle on posters which appeared on walls in Algiers. Across a picture of the President were the words: “To be executed.”

The notices proclaimed: "The O.A.S. strikes where, when, and how it wants,” the “Sunday Telegraph” reported. The newspaper’s special correspondent said people gathered round photographs of the President and 10 other men on posters in the Rue Michelet Three of the men were Vietnamese, a nationality well represented among the French anti-O AS- police in Algeria. Across the pictures of three of the men was the word "executed " A message on the posters read: “Men and women of Algeria: let their faces remain engraved in your memory as the symbol of degradation of the Gaullist dictatorship and the insults of the Government to those who died for our country “The OAS has already punished some of these men and the rest will be punished pitilessly ” Threat to Reporters OAS gunmen yesterday kidnapped an Italian journalist and warned Italian reporters to get out of Algiers within 24 hours or face death. The O AS. men told the iournalist. Alberto Giovannini. of the Turin newspaper "La Stampa." whom they released 15 minutes later, that Italian reporters were too on the O A S They also warned that "it will be the turn of the Anglo-Saxon press next” Giovannini said when he was freed that the two men who kidnapped him had told him: “You Italian Journalists are far too critical of the OAS. We were going to kill you. but have decided to spare you tonight. "But if there are still Italian journalists in Algiers 24 hours from tomorrow morning, we will kill one of you ” Battles in Streets A new series of gun battles, bombs and arson hit the heart of Algiers last night Fire which broke out tn the Government Delegation

building after two bombs exploded set fire to thousands of vital police files. Two fierce gun battles broke out in the ancient winding streets of the Arab Casbah.

Insurgents on the Casbah rooftops shot one European dead and wounded two others. Seconds later, another insurgent shot dead a European walking along a street 200 yards away. Moslem harkis (French auxiliary troops) cornered the insurgent and mowed him down. Other scattered terrorist attacks took 10 other lives in the city. At least 35 Algerians were injured this morning in the port city of Bone, in eastern Algeria, when grenades were thrown into groups of loiterers Two Algerians were killed in Bone by shots fired from a passing car At least seven Europeans and 15 Algerians were killed in the last 24 hours in the western city of Oran-