Conspiracy Reported

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31658, 19 April 1968, Page 13

Conspiracy Reported

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) MOSCOW, April 17. A self-admitted antiCommunist conspiratorial group was uncovered in Leningrad a year ago aimed at overthrowing the Soviet Government and replacing it with a democracy under the guidance of the Russian Orthodox Church, according to reliable information obtained here today from persons close to the defendants, a “New York Times” News Service correspondent, Raymond H. Anderson, reports. He said the conspiracy and two related trials had not been reported in the Soviet press. The conspirators called their organisation the AllRussian Social - Christian Union for the Liberation of the People. The group, made up of about 60 intellectuals, was formed in 1964 and was broken up last year by the State Security Police. The organisation's philosophy was a mixture of religious ethics, socialism and democracy. Four leaders of the group were convicted last autumn of treason and anti-State conspiracy and sentenced to labour camp terms ranging from eight to 15 years. A treason conviction can result in a death penalty.