THREAT TO SOVIET ALLEGED BY FRENCH COMMUNIST LEADER

Grey River Argus, 26 February 1949, Page 5

THREAT TO SOVIET ALLEGED BY FRENCH COMMUNIST LEADER

Thorez’s Approval of Red Army PARIS, Feb. 24 The Prime Minister, Dr Queuille, told the French National Assembly that the statement by M. Thorez, the French Communist leader, that should the Soviet Army come to France, the French workers would behave towards it as did the workers of Poland and Rumania,” has been sent to the Public Prosecutor’s office. Earlier the Assembly’s Foreign Affairs of a motion by a Popular Republican Party deputy, asking the Government to make cleai its attitude to M. Thorez’s statement,; made bn Tuesday to the central committee of the French Communist Party said that if the Red Army occupied French soil it would receive the same welcome from French workers as it was accorded in Poland, Rumania, and ‘Yugoslavia. M. Thorez spoke in the Assembly to-day, following a call by a Right-wing deputy, ivi. Pierre Andre, that the French Government should outlaw the Communist Party. .When the Speaker, M. Herriot, asked if the House wanted an immediate discussion the Thorez speech. 550 deputies rose in their seats in affirmation. In his statement, M. Thorez said: ‘‘Workers of France and friends of peace will do everything to render a war against the Soviet Union not .just difficult but impossible." He added that there was at this time a new threat of war—war prepared cleverly by the imperialist Powers, a war in which France was asked to be an ally of Germany and Snain. He said that the capitalist countries were engage again in a fight for overseas markets, which would inevitably lead to war, unless the people of the world reacted. ’•Whatever will be the final form of the Atlantic Pact, there will be a lease-lend programme of armament to Western Europe, which means that military bases against Russia will be set up from Norway to Turkey, he said. “We believe the American people do not want war. It is their administators who have made the choice.” 'Referring to “the numerous air. •naval and military bases which, he said, would be alloted to the United States on French territory, especial!?, Morocco. M. Thorez said: We aie actually witnessing a foreign invasion o. France ” All except the Communist benches loudly protested against this statem M t ’Thoroz said French people believed a Franco-Russian alliance to be the surest guarantee of French independence a”d freedom. The Prime Minister, stating that the statement of M. Thorez had been sent to the Public Posecutor, made it clear that it was now up to the law officers to decided whether to take any action.

Dr Queuille warned the Communists that the Government would not tolerate any campaign to demoralise the army. He added that after three years of Communist agitation confidence had now returned to the country. The Communists were less able to exploit economic discontent and wore therefore, lookino for new means of continuing their “inquitous propaganda.”

Dr Queuille said that France would welcome any military aid that the United States might send as a a consequence of the signing of the Atlantic Pact.