Czech Sensation— Police Raid British Office In Prague

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 October 1948, Page 5

Czech Sensation— Police Raid British Office In Prague

(Recd. 9.45 a.m.) PRAGUE, October 18. The Czech police today raided the British information bureau at Frikope, near the centre of Prague, stated a British Embassy spokesman, quoted by Reuter,’s correspondent. The police forcibly arrested a British information officer, Mr Richard Wallis, but later released him. The British spokesman said that Mr Wallis’s arrest occurred when he and the embassy’s first secretary, Sir Anthony Rumbold, went to the information bureau to protest against the raid by the Czech police. Late in the afternoon the police were still in occupation of the information bureau and were reported to be searching the premises.

The bulletin of British news, which the Embassy’s information service publishes in Czech, was confiscated a fortnight ago, when it carried excerpts from a British newspaper editorial on the United Nations. “Feet Sticking Out Window”

The British United Press correspondent reports that Sir Anthony Rumbold states that Mr Wallis was driven away in a police car. He was seized at the same time as the Czech police handcuffed and dragged a Czech Embassy employee out of the information office.

Sir’ Anthony Rumbold said: “The last I saw of Mr Wallis he must have been lying on the car floor, because his feet were sticking out the window.” The British Ambassador, Mr Pierson Dixon, has vigorously protested to the Czechoslovak authorities regarding the-arrest of .Mr Wallis.

The name of the British information service Czech employee whom the police dragged from the office during the raid was Citek. Sir Anthony Rumbcld protested to the police that they, contrary to all diplomatic practice, were arresting an employee of a foreign mission without first advising the head of the mission. Brutal Manner An Embassy spokesman said the police dragged Mr Citek in a most brutal manner out to a waiting police car. Mr Wallis was merely watching the proceedings when the police seized him and also thrust him head first into the car.

Mr Wallis was detained at police

headquarters for one and threequarter hours. He was then released without an apology and had to walk back to the British Embassy. Czech Version The official Czech news agency issued a statement on the arrest of Mr Citek, saying that Mr Citek was charged with very serious offences.. As the British information service' provided information for the Czech public, it was considered extraterritorial. Therefore the police entered the premises. The police in the course of their arrest of Mr Citek met with resistance which led to the arrest of Mr Wallis. It was not discovered that Mr Wallis was press attache at the British Embassy until his arrival at police headquarters when he was immediately released.