Under Reign Of Terror

Northern Advocate, 12 March 1948, Page 5

Under Reign Of Terror

Criticism abroad of the new regime in Czechoslovakia took on a harder tone yesterday with confirmation of the death by suicide of the Czech Foreign Minister (M. Jan Masaryk). Czechoslovakia was “under a reign of terror” and the world situation was

“very, very serious,” said the American Secretary of State (Mr G. C. Marshall), at a Press conference in Washington.

Mr Marshall frequently went “off the record” in his talk with correspondents, but took the unusual step of allowing himself to be quoted verbatim on one point after a reporter suggested that great fears had been aroused over the Czechoslovak crisis and over the possibility of the Communists winning the Italian elections on April 18. Mr Marshall said: “1 think you correctly describe the situation. There is also considerable passion of view by a great many people in this country.” “The situation is very, very serious,” Mr Marshall added “It is regrettable that passions are aroused to the degree they are. It is tragic to have things happen like those in Czechoslovakia, particularly regarding some of the officials there, as in the affair today of M. Masaryk.

“It all indicates very plainly what is going on. It is a reign of terror in Czechoslovakia, not an ordinary due process of government by the people.” Mr Marshall said he had not yet received any formal report from the American Ambassador in Prague regarding the nature of M. Masaryk’s death.

Ostrava police announced that M. Josef Herod, former regional secretary of the National Socialist Party, committed suicide in prison.

M. Herod was arrested in connection with inquiries of alleged espionage.