INTERNATIONAL NOTES

Grey River Argus, 13 August 1937, Page 10

INTERNATIONAL NOTES

FASCIST-TROTSKY BLOC SOVIET STRENGTH AND SOLIDARITY. (By "Left Wing”) The recent well-merited punishment of a group of highly placed traitors and assassins in the Soviet State is evidence of the vigilance of the Soviet workers and cneir refusal to permit corrupt officials, no matter how highly placed, to wreck the work of Socialist construction. The shooting of ZinoViev, Kamanev and others last year and of Piatakov, of Assistant- Commissar Tukachevsky and other Red Army traitors this year was the punishment for years of treason, espionage and assassination on the part of these corrupt and ruthless. Not only were they proved guilty, ba incontestable evidence, of attempts to betray their country to the Fascist enemy, but most of them were concerned in wrecking and murdering activities that actually cost the lives of many Soviet citizens. The more reactionary section of the capitalist press took the stand of shedding crocodile tears for these murderers and totally ignoring their unfortunate victims. Presumably, the traitors should have been allowed to continue betraying and murdering. This, of course, would be excellent from the standpoint of foreign capitalism. A section of the Labour Press echoed this viewpoint faithfuly. Perhaps the most prominent "Labour” paper to take up this cry was the London “Daily Herald,” a paper which is generally considered a Labour daily, though it is actually controlled by its millionaire proprietor. REPRINT FROM “DAILY HERALD” In the “Standard” of July 29th, an article from the “Herald” is reprinted under the heading ' “Nation-wide Purge in Russia.” Unable to give one single fact in support of its attitude, the article relies on sly insinuations, half-truths and misleading inverted commas, e.g., placing “enemies” of the people in commas when speaking of the traitors. Not all prominent Labour leaders take such a scurrilous stand. For instance, Labour M.P.’s such as Mr. D D. Pritt, the well-known King’s Counsel, was actually present at the trials of Radek, Sokolnikov and others this year, and indignantly repudiated the suggestions of unfairness or undue pressure at the trials. The men confessed, h,e stated, because the evidence of their' guilt was overwhelming. He himself had no doubt of their guilt and thought their trial compared very favourably witn one which would be accorded them in an English Court. Many other impartial witnesses spoke in similar fashion. (The Court, by the way, was full of correspondents of English and other foreign newspapers, vet some English papers at the time had the barefaced impudence to say that the trial was conducted behind closed doors). 'FASCIST ESPIONAGE IN U.S.S.R. Tukachevsky and the other traitors who had conducted espionage and wrecking tactics on behali of the Fascist Government of Germany, were tried before a special session of the Supreme Court of the U.S.S.R. The proceedings in this case were not open to the public any more than such an espionage trial would be open to the public in England or France During the war, e.g., German spies were not tried in public in England The first thing- known —was that a firing squad had done its work in the Tower of London.

Hitler Germany to-day has more spies operating in the Soviet Union than in the rest of Europe. Alarmed by the Socialist successes of the Soviet State, the Fascists are redoubling their efforts to undermine the military security of that country. What they have accomplished is sufficiently serious, it is true.. A comparative handful of traitors, if in important posts, can work much damage. , But the point is that they are only a handful. The great mass of Soviet citizens view them with horror. “The entire Red Army,” stated Marshal Voroshilov, People’s Commissar for Defence, "heaves a sigh of relief at learning of this sentence (execution of army traitors, i.e.) and its enforcement.” THE “OLD BOLSHEVIK” LIE The- chacterisation of these traitors as members of the “Bolshevik Old Guard” is as baseless as the rest of the fairy tales woven by their defenders. Almost everyone of the traitors— Zinoviev, Kamenev, Radek, Bukharin and, of course, the arch-traitor Trotsky—has a long history of fractious and dangerous opposition to the collective line of the Party, had been disciplined and had only been readmitted and given posts of responsibility because of their admission of error These admissions, it now appears, were hypocritical, but the extraordinary generosity of the Bolshevik Party and the Soviet people generally, allowed them further chances which they only utilised for evil purposes.

These traitors, remember, are products of the past. Mostly of non-working-class origin, they were ambh tious individuals who placed desire roi personal domination before the social welfare. VIRILITY OF SOCIAL DEMOCRACY Their discovery and punishment is no accident but a striking proof of the virility of Soviet democracy. “The tail wags the dog” no longer in the U.S.S.R. To an even greater degree —to a degree undreamt of in New Zealand or England—the masses—the worker in the factory, the farmer, the housewife, mother and office workei are politically conscious, are becoming actual participants in the government of their country. In such a country, bureaucrats and traitors are unable to strike their roots deeply. Yet never must it be forgotten that the U.S.S.R. is a Socialist oasis surrounded by a capitalist world. The Fascists and their tools cannot destroy the Workers’ State, any more than they can destroj' the working class movement as a whole, but they can cause, and have caused, much mischief by their wrecking, spying and assassination tactics.

All friends of the Soviet Union, all friends of peace and democracy, therefore, will approve of the steps taken against the traitors. Articles such as the one reprinted in the “Standard,” only play into the hands of Fascism. What is wanted to-day is not a united front of capitalist and Labour Maders against the Soviet Union and the Communist movement but a united front of all working class forces, whether Com-

munists or Labour Party against the Fascist enemies of the Soviet State and of world progress. BEAVERBROOK’S LITTLE MISTAKE. Amongt the recent “victims” of the “purge” in the U.S.S.R. according to the Moscow correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph,” was a prominent German Communist, Max Hoelz. Unfortunately for Beaverbrook this comrade was drowned in a boating accident four years ago. But no doubt you will. Try again, Viscount! GERMAN DOCTORS NEW ZEALAND A statement has been made by a prominent Wellington surgeon protesting at the' alleged influx of German doctors. This attitude is narrow and selfish. We need doctors in New Zealand —need them badly, vjudging by one’s experiences in public hospitals, to name only one thing. German doctors’ qualifications are high. If it Is true that an M.D. in Germany may have no knowledge of surgery as distinct from general practice (physicians’ practice) then that and all such matters can be adjusted easily with a little goodwill. These are many sick people in New Zealand who can’t get proper attention because of financial reasons. If necessary, the Government could re-~ tain the services of the foreign doctors in connection with its own health schemes. BASQUE CHILDREN LENINGRAD LENINGRAD.—Thousands waiting on the dock gave a tumultuous cheer of welcome to 1505 Basque children who arrived here on the steamer Santai. Cheers of the crowd were answered by the children themselves who sang the “International” and shouted in unison “Long Live Russia” and “Long Live Stalin.” After medical examination the children were sent to rest homes and sanitoria throughout the Soviet Union Meanwhile a programme of rest, recreation and entertainment had been drawn up for their stay in Leningrad. SOVIET REPLIES TO BRITISH NOTE MOSCOW.—Soviet Assistant Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Potemkin, on behalf of Soviet Government, has replied to the British Note on the question of withdrawal of “volunteers” from Spain and a temporary armistice. The Soviet reply states that wnen, as at the present moment, agreement on the question of withdrawal of "volunteers” has not been reached, the appropriateness of an appeal to the Government of the Republic and to the rebels, regarding a temporary cessation of military action to bring about the withdrawal, does not seem to the Soviet Government sufficiently obvious. The reply also stresses the Soviet Union’s doubt not only on the appropriateness but effectiveness of such an appeal. The Soviet Government takes into account: — Firstly, the obvious impossibility of depending on the rebels who are trampling underfoot the most elementary principles of humanity, aided and abetted by certain foreign States, a point upon which international public opinion, by the way, has been able to convince itself following the bloody annihilation of the peaceful city of Guernica. Secondly, the Soviet Government takes into account the fruitless experence of a similar appeal made during the war of intervention against Soviet Russia. Nevertheless, the Soviet Government, desiring in every way to speedup the withdrawal from Spain of foreign "volunteers,” including foreign regulars, which would lead to a rapid stop to further bloodshed, is ready now. to add its voice to the call for a cessation of military operations during the period necessary to Oring about the withdrawal.

However, recognising that it is im- . possible to regard the Spanish Gov- , ernment and the rebels as equal sides, [ the Soviet Government considers . it . an advisable and just condition that j the rebels who were first to 'take up . arms against the lawful Government should also be the first to cease mili- . tary operations and be the first to be- , gin the withdrawal, including that of Moroccan troops from the country. Unless these preliminary guarantees are given a temporary cessation of military action would only help to serve to sharpen the civil war in i Spain, would be of benefit to the I rebels and do damage to the lawful ’ Government of Spain. TARTARS RECEIVE A NEW CONSTITUTION. i MOSCOW, June 30.—The extraordinary XI Soviet Congress of the Tartar autonomous Republic in Kasan has now concluded its labour, chief of which was the discussion and final adoption of the new constitutions of the autonomous Tartar Republic. To celebrate the 17th anniversary of the Tartar Republic and the adoption of the new Constitution, a great mass meeting took place in Kasan and 80,000 people assembled on the Square of Liberty to demonstrate their steadfast support of the great party of Lenin and Stalin, and their great love of Stalin, leader of the people of the Soviet Union and the creator of the new Constitution of the Soivet Union. SI NO-JAPAN ESE WAR. The aggressive war which Japan is waging upon China must not be regarded by New Zealanders as something which only affects those countries. On the contrary, the Japanese attack is part of a well thought out plot which the militarist clique which rules Japan hatched some time ago. It is their desire to conquer China, cripple Soviet Russia, conquer South Asia and the Eest Indies—then on to Australia and New Zealand. This is not our imagination. It is the ectual plan as set out in Baron Tanaka’s famous memorandum. The Japanese working people are perhaps our best allies against Japanese militarists, but they are as yet in sufficiently organised. In the present suituation, it would be fatal for the latter to gain a victory over China. The moral and material fruits of such a victory would be disastrous for , peace in the South Pacific. ' The invoking of the League Covenant against Japan should be immediately urged by our Government which should take steps towards the realisa- 1 tion of a Peace Pact which would em- : brace all countries bordering on the Pacific—including the Soviet Union. < “KNOCK THEIR TEETH OUT" ( * "There are people with whom one 1

could only reason after one had knocked out their teeth, declared Nazi Propaganda Minister Goebbels, speaking on the alleged submarine attack against the cruiser Leipzig in Berlin on June 21st. . Germany would not be satisfied, he said, by the incident being referred from one committee to another and with a letter being sent to the Spanish Government after six or seven months. . Goebbels was obviously doing his best to hide with his screaming the fact that the Nazi allegations anout “Red submarines” had oeen received in stony and sceptical silence. ANOTHER VICTIM OF HITLER’S “KULTUR KEMPF.” FARIS, June 11.—It has now become know that a Catholic priest from Brandenburg, Father Bruno Schubert, died on May 6th in the-Ber-lin Police Presidium. The authorities declare that Father Schubert "committed suicide.” The Catholic Church, of course, sternly condemns suicide, and it is extremely' unlikely that a Catholic priest would commit suicide—unless he had been tortured to the point of insanity, and did so whilst of unsound mind. " The opinion of the Catholic Church about this mystdrious “suicide” can be seen clearly from the fact that Father Schubert was buried in Brandenburg on May 12th with full religious rites. Father Schubert is another victim of Hitler’s torturers and hangmen.