Suicide Of Czech Foreign Minister

Northern Advocate, 11 March 1948, Page 5

Suicide Of Czech Foreign Minister

PRAGUE, Wed. (11 a.m.). —The Czech Foreign Minister (M. Jan Masaryk) committed suicide this morning by jumping out of a window at his home.

Flags which earlier today were flying in honour •of the anniversary of the first Czech President, Thomas Masaryk, were this evening lowered to half-mast for his son, says Reuters Prague correspondent. A huge black banner was unfurled over the entrance to Parliament and black flags fluttered in front of public buildings. It is officially announced that black flags will be, flown until the morning after the state funeral on Saturday.

The Czech Government broadcasting system, in giving the announcement of Masaryk’s suicide, said: “In the early hours of this morning Jan Masaryk voluntarily took his life. “He had suffered an illness, coupled with insomnia.

“brave behaviour." Nosek added: "We feel his loss deeply and we will keep him in honourable and eternal memory.” When Parliament opened this afternoon a big pile of red and white flowers covered M. Masaryk’s seat. The seats of the Communists were all filled, but those of the other parties were about half full. The British United Press correspondent says he was in a restaurant when Prague radio gave the news of M. Masaryk’s suicide.

“It is probable that in a moment of nervous disturbance he jumped out of the window of his official flat into the courtyard of the palace.

“Right to the last minute he had shown no sign of depression. “The circumstances are being investigated.” Later, the Minister of the Interior (Nosek) told Parliament that M. Masaryk last evening was in his usual good spirits, but in the night “a nervous crisis developed. He was unable to sleep, as has been usual with him for some time now.

“The diners simply sagged,” he said.

Weeping crowds in the afternoon gathered outside shop windows where black-draped pictures of M. Masaryk were displayed. The Associated Press correspondent says it is revealed that M. Masaryk stayed behind to talk with President Bones after Dr Bones had received the Polish Ambassador. It was their first conversation since the crisis and it is believed to have plunged M. Masaryk into a night of despair.

“M. Masaryk’s crisis reached a climax at 6 a.m. today. He was unable to control his mind any longer. “M. Masaryk went into a bathroom adjoining his bedroom and threw himself from the window.

“His dead body was found 30 minutes later.”

During the evening M. Masaryk had been reading telegrams from friends in America and Britain expressing disappointment at what Nosek called his

M. Masaryk last appeared publicly on March 7 at a commemoration in the Old Town Hall Square to his father’s birthday, when he appeared haggard and worried.