Bid To Kill President Of Venezuela Claimed

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30158, 15 June 1963, Page 11

Bid To Kill President Of Venezuela Claimed

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

CARACAS (Venezuela), June 13.

Police took action against Communists and their supporters today in the wake of an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the Venezuelan President, Mr Romulo Betancourt, United Press International reported.

In Caracas alone, at least 150 card-carrying C o in in ti n i s t s and members of the proCastro Revolutionary Movement were arrested. Troops as well as police units were put on alert. Mr Betancourt disclosed the abortive plot to kill him in a nation-wide television and radio broadcast from San Felix. 465 miles south-east of Caracas. He said two known Communists had been caugh' placing a time bomb in the Archbishop's palace at Ciudad Bolivar on Tuesday night. The President said the home-made bomb comprised three sticks of dynamite and a time clock set to explode at the hour of ceremonies dedicating the Archbishop's residence. which he was to have attended. Police armed with rifles and sub-machine guns raided known Communists' haunts. Otherwise, life in the city was normal. In Washington, a spokesman for the United States State Department described Mr Betancourt’s orders to round up Venezuelan' Communists as a step to maintain public order and protect the

people in Venezuela, including the President, “against the irresponsible acts of subversion and terrorism by elements opposed to President Betancourt and his evolutionary social and economic programme." Reuter reported. The new police action followed a week of terrorism, which included bombings, sub-machine-gun attacks on suburban police stations and incendiary attacks on Ameri-can-owned companies. Police yesterday broke up a Communist sub-machine-

gun attack on a Venezuelanowned construction company in the suburb of Rosales, and arrested three men and a woman who attacked a police post outside the city. Last week, eight gunmen raided and burned the United States military mission in Caracas. They forced six United States Army men to strip.

Two days ago. terrorists set fire to a Goodyear Rubber Company tyre warehouse, causing 400,000 dollars worth of damage.