THE NORTHERN ADVOCATE Registered for transmission through the Post as a Newspaper. SATURDAY MARCH 3, 1947. Communists And Their Plans

Northern Advocate, 8 March 1947, Page 6

THE NORTHERN ADVOCATE Registered for transmission through the Post as a Newspaper. SATURDAY MARCH 3, 1947. Communists And Their Plans

A highly important debate took place in the Federal House of Representatives yesterday, when the deputy Prime Minister of Australia. Dr Evatt, revealed the extent of precautions which the Government s

taking against spies who may endeavour (o obtain information regarding tests of rocket-propelled weapons of the atomic variety which are being made in the centre of the continent.

The debate was initiated by a member of the Country Party, Mr J. P. Abbott, who demanded the sotting up of a Royal Commission to investigate Communist activity in Govern-ment-controlled scientific experiments. declaring that the Australian public service and Government scientific services are being “redanted" with Communists.

This is a sweeping allegation, the more serious because there has not been wanting evidence throughout the world that Communists have exercised a nefarious influence in all manner of organisations, and have obviously subscribed to the doctrine that the end justifies the means—of putting Communism on the throne.

No one without personal knowledge of the facts would go so far as Mr Abbott when he declared that the Australian public service is infested with Communists, or say that any Communists who may have obtained entrance to the service are using their positions to undermine the British Empire, but it is nevertheless only too evident that the technique of the Communist hierarch}' is being employed by men who have obtained leadership of seme industrial organisations in the Commonwealth.

Communists believe that the promotion of internal strife, culminating in civil war. provides the best means whereby a well-organised majority may achieve a coup d'etat.

It was adherence to this belief, and the discipline of a comparatively small section of the peoples of Russia. which brought about the successful revolution that produced the Soviet Republics as they exist today, with dictatorial power in the hands of a few men.

With zeal not surpassed by religious orders, the agents of Communism are constantly and sedulously working for the conversion of peoples to Communistic doctrine; there is strong reason to believe that

the British Empire has been regarded as the chief obstacle to the plans of the Comintern, whose spiritual home is Russia. There is even greater reason for this belief today, for. as may be seen in Australia and New Zealand, some men are definitely out to disrupt those democratic institutions which might well be the greatest barriers to the extension of Com-

munism. The coming of the atomic energy age has apparently convinced Communists that democratic countries must not be allowed to obtain a monopoly of knowledge in the harnessing and use of atomic power for warlike purposes: hence the methods adopted by spy-rings in Canada to secure information in regard to atom bomb developments, information which should have been closely guarded secrets. It transpired, however, that men who ought to have been beyond suspicion were seduced by the Communist High Command, to whom secrets were revealed. Today Australia is the rendezvous of British scientists who are testing various rocket-propelled bombs motivated by atomic energy, and it has been declared by Dr Evatt that the Government is doing everything deemed necessary to safeguard the secrecy of the tests. The questions addressed to the Government by the Opposition show plainly that there is grave disquiet on the part of a large section of Australians that the means whereby Communists obtained possession of secrets from Canadian scientific workers may be employed in Australia. It is well that this note of warning should have been sounded, and there will be widespread hope that the Federal Government is taking m the most comprehensive manner possible the precautions outlined by Dr Evatt. British people, whether they be found in Australia or New Zealand, should watch closely and with justified suspicion the actions of men who, seizing upon the flimsiest excuses. have no compunction about disrupting the lawful activities of their countries and defying the Governments elected by the people. There is very real need for this policy of self-preservation on the part of all who love liberty.