RUSSIAN TREASON TRIAL

Evening Star, Issue 22895, 1 March 1938, Page 9

RUSSIAN TREASON TRIAL

TWENTY-ONE PROMINENT PEOPLE TO BE CHARGED WITH ESPIONAGE AND SABOTAGE Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, February 28. ‘ The Times ’ correspondent at Riga says the State Prosecutor, M. Vyshinsky, announced that a great treason trial before a military tribunal will be held on March 2. The accused are 21 prominent people, namely, MM. Bukharin, Rykoff, Rakovsky, Yagoda, Krestinsky, Rosengoltz, Gringko, Ivanoff, Ohernotf, Zelinsky, Bessonoff, Okranhoff, Khojaeff, Sharonovich, Zubar, Bulanoff, Levin, Pletnoff, Kazokoffi, Maximoff, and Kryuchkoff. They are charged with organising espionage, wrecking and terrorism on behalf of

hostile foreign States in order to provoke war, dismember the Soviet and deliver up the Ukraine, White Russia, Turkestan, the Caucasus and tie Far Eastern maritime province to their employers. Their activities allegedly date from the inception of the Soviet when MM. Bukharin and Trotsky unavailingly plotted to frustrate the Brestlitovsk peace. It is asserted that with the help of prominent doctors they murdered the head of the 0.G.P.U., ML Kuibysheff, the novelist, Maxim Gorky, in 193 G, and M. Koroff in 1934. The organisation was on a broad basis, embracing all groups, with the object of establishing a bourgeois regime. M. Bukharin is a former president of the Communist International. M. Rykoff was M. Lenin’s successor as Soviet Premier and Commissar of Communications.

M, Rakovsky is President of the Ukraine and a former Ambassador in London.

M. Yagoda is the former head of the O.G.P.U.

M. Krestinsky is Assistant Foreign Commissar.

M. Rosengoltz is Foreign Trade Commissar.

M. Grinko is Finance Commissar and director of the five-year plan. M. Chernoff is Agriculture Commissar.

M. Khojaeff is Premier of Bekistan. M. Levin is head of Kremlin Hospital. M. Pletnoff is a leading heart specialist.

M. Kazokoff is director of the Institute of Facial Metabolism.

M. Maximoff is a Kremlin physician

Correspondents of other newspapers confirm the arrests and the forthcoming trial, wihch is regarded as the most sensational in the Soviet’s history.

M. Kryuchkoff was secretary-manager for Maxim Gorky. MM. Bukharin and Rykoff were expelled from the Communist Party in 1937.

M. Trotsky, though absent, will also be arraigned on a charge of close association with agents of a foreign Power since 1921.

THE DOMINATING TOPIC

REFERENCE TO FOREIGN POWERS. LONDON, February 28(Received March 1, at 12.15 p.m.) The Riga correspondent of 1 The Times ’ says the impending trial is the dominating topic throughout Russia. Meetings at factories, coal mines, and other centres express spontaneous approval of the arrangements for “this day of reckoning fr>r the enemies of the people.” Many/passed resolutions: “ Death for these bloody bandits.” ‘ Pravda ’ describes the prisoners as the dregs of humanity, for whom there is no fit place on earth.” It adds: “ Their destruction is worth as much to us as a great military victory.” The indictment is sprinkled with the name of Trotsky and references to foreign Powers, which are unnamed, but the context leaves no doubt that they are Germany and Japan.