“ACCUSATIONS TOTALLY FALSE”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21997, 15 April 1946, Page 3

“ACCUSATIONS TOTALLY FALSE”

ATOMIC RESEARCH SPANISH_ REPLY INQUIRY INVITED DUBBED A TRICK MOVE (11.30 a.m.) LONDON, April 14. The Spanish Cabinet, after a meeting lasting until early today, issued a communique regarding the Polish accusations that atomic research was being carried out in Spain by German scientists. The communique described the accusations as “totally false. ” The Cabinet has issued an invitation to all members of the United. Nations having diplomatic. relations with Spain to scud technical commissions to Spain. They would have liberty to travel freely throughout the country on the understanding that their findings would lie published. The communique described as absurd the accusation, that Spain represented a danger to world peace and said the Government once again firmly rejected any kind of outside interference in Spain’s internal affairs.

Spain's proposal that a technicians’ committee from friendly United Nations members should investigate reports that atomic bomb research is proceeding in Spain is denounced by the Polish delegation to the Security Council, as a trick move a—view which the New York Herald Tribune says appears to be widely shared among the other delegations.

Fuller Investigations Urged

Senor Fernando de los Rios, exRepublican Foreign Minister, suggested that if General Franco is ready to invite a commission ‘Tor one single purpose” he should be asked to accept a really broad committee which could investigate all the problems concerned in Spain's interior life—concentration camps, people in gaols, and the secret activity of the security police and also to inspect troop concentrations in the Pyrenees. The Spanish Embassy in Washington states that no instructions have been received from Madrid on the question of making representations to the United Nations.

Tile New York Times, referring to Spain’s qualified offer, reports Security Council delegates as saying: "It is not customary for an alleged culprit to fix his own trial and rules or select his judges.” Dr. Velloso. a Brazilian representative who had not previously commented on the Spanish issue, told the correspondent that Poland’s charges that German scientists are working in Spain on new methods of warfare arc '‘particularly disturbing and must be carefully investigated.” Tile correspondent says that the comment is significant in indicating that Brazil may support Poland's charges against Spain. This would be an important gain for Poland, which is already assured of Russian. French. Mexican and nossibly Australian sucport.