IRON CURTAIN FALLS ON CZECHS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22571, 26 February 1948, Page 5

IRON CURTAIN FALLS ON CZECHS

COMMUNISTS SEIZE POWER PRESIDENT BOWS TO PRESSURE OPPOSITION MINISTERS OUT OF OFFICE (N.Z.P.A. —Reuter —Copyright.) 1 (10.35 a.m.) LONDON, February 25. The President of Czechoslovakia, Dr. E. Benes, today accepted the new Cabinet proposed by the Communist leader, M. Gottwald, says the British United Press correspondent in Prague, quoting an official announcement. This followed a threat earlier today by the Communists to call a general strike if Dr. Benes did not accept the Cabinet and also Dr. Benes’ acceptance of the resignations of the non-Communist Ministers. . It is reported that the new Cabinet includes 11 or 12 Communists, four Social Democrats, two Left Wing National Socialists, two left Wir.g People’s Party representatives, one Slovak Democrat and the two present non-party Ministers—the Foreign Minister, M. Jan Masaryk, and the National Defence Minister, General Svoboda, with M. Gottwald as Premier.

There are three deputy Premiers, M. Lausman, Social Democrat, M. Soroky, Communist, and M. Antonin Zapotocky, Communist. The Social Democratic Party’s chairvman, Mr. ‘’’Lausman, and the former Social Democrat vice-Premier, M. Fierlinger, who have Communist sympathies, in a statement, said that the Social Democrat split had been healed and the party had agreed to the Communists’ proposals for a new Government and a new national front. Reuter's correspondent points out that the Communists have 114 of the 300 members of Parliament and will have a majority with the support of 39 Socia Democrats. Dr. Benes has postponed his broadcast to the nation, which was to have •been made tonight until tomorrow might. c.- The Ministry of the Interior announced that more people in Slovakia • had been arrested. "They had “confessed to spying for two Western -.-Powers”, added the Ministry. The British United Press correspondent reports that police this evening fired on students marching towards the President’s Palace. Troops Cruise Streets Lorryloads of troops and police cruised the streets of Prague as 90.000 people shouting, “Long Live Gottwald,” and “Long Live Benes,” gathered this evening in Wenceslaus Square in answer to the call of the Communist-sponsored central action committee for a mass demonstration. The British United Press correspondent says that the police finally had to bar the crowds pouring down the side streets from crushing into the crowded square. The demonstration bore the aspect of an advance victory rally. Meanwhile, the central committee of the Czech student organisations, under the National Socialist leadership, delivered to Dr. Benes a resolution stating that they had decided to face a blood purge such as the Nazis carried out if it became necessary to defend party democracy. * Tne Minister of the Interior, M. Nosek, stripped all local Government organisations of authority arid vested it 1 in the action committees. They assumed the functions of Ministries of Foreign Trade and Posts and Telegraphs. thus ousting the National Socialist Minister, M. Hubert Ripkn, snd the People’s Party Minister. M. Frantisek Hala. The Minister of National Defence. General Svobada. in a broadcast, urged the army to stay out of the crisis and Df “possible internal political con-, AWs.” !

the Presidency after a four-day coup in which the police and trade unions were the main weapons. Dr. Gottwald is drafting a new Cabinet list which he is expected to present to Dr. Benes before the President broadcasts to the nation tomorrow. Reuter’s correspondent says that action committees are reported to be forming rapidly throughout the country in factories and offices. One committee took over the Social Democrat newspaper Pravo Lidu on behalf of the party’s Left Wing elements. The Prague radio oroaucast a joint statement, signed by M Fierlinger and •'he Communist Minister of industry Madame Jankoyova, stating that the Communist and Social Democrat Parties had agreed to torm a new Government The Association Press correspondent says that M. Fierlinger returned as leader of the Social Democrat Partv inly after a physical clash in the part-. ~e?'qua "»ers from which the formeleader, M. Bohumil Lausman. emerged in a disheviiled condition. This development eives Dr Gottwald the power he needed to complete the drive for Communist control. Tlie police now guard all the Social Democrat _ headquarters. public buildings, foreign embassies and they are swarming in the streets o? Prague. They occupy the Bohemian and Slovakian postal and telephone offices and also guard Prague and Bratislava radio stations. They have occupied the print, mg works of National Socialist Party’s newspaper Svobodne Slovo.

Trade union headquarters ordered all local branches to occupy immediatelv all factories with over 50 employees and hold them until “national administrators” could be apnointed. The Associated Press eorresoondent renorts that a Communist statement said that the Left Wine comnle+elv controlled the Social Democrat Party and the former Prime Minister. M. Fierlinger was again the party’s leader. Commun’st Coup

The British United Press correspondent in Prague says that the Communist Party tonight controlled everv State organ in Czechoslovakia except