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given his blessing to the Hitlerite race theory. The accused (both in Hungary and Bulgaria) had been guilty of espionage on behalf of foreign Powers and of activities intended to overthrow the democratic regimes of their respective countries by force and with foreign assistance (from the United States, inter alia) in order to replace them by a reactionary fascist regime. Cardinal Mindszenty, for instance, had directed a secret organization aimed at overthrowing the existing Hungarian regime by force, at re-establishing the monarchy (under Duke Otto of Habsburg), and at including the new Hungary in a monarchist federation of central Europe. He had engaged repeatedly in black-market operations in dollars and Swiss francs and had attempted by all possible means to sabotage democratic reforms and impede the country's reconstruction. He had thus been guilty of serious crimes condemned in the criminal code of all modern countries. It was therefore, absurd to speak of violation of religious freedoms, of infringement of human rights, when it was the accused themselves who had threatened the very existence of democratic" rights and liberty in their countries. Moreover the Bulgarian and Hungarian Governments had not only the right but the duty under the peace treaties to prosecute men who attempted to re-establish fascist dictatorships. ■ So far as the issue of religious freedom was concerned, full freedom was granted to the different faiths and financial support was given them by the Hungarian and Bulgarian Governments. The position of the Eastern European States may be summarized as follows 1. Cardinal Mindszenty and the Bulgarian Protestant clergy had been sentenced for " common-law " and political crimes against their Governments; 2. The inclusion of the question on the agenda of the General Assembly was a flagrant violation of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of States laid down by Article 2, paragraph 7, of the Charter; 3. The peace treaties with Bulgaria and Hungary (Article 40 of the peace treaty with Hungary, Article 36 of the peace treaty with Bulgaria) provided a special procedure in case of difficulties arising from the interpretation or application of the clauses of the said treaties and the General Assembly should therefore not interfere in that field ; 4. The treaties placed Hungary and Bulgaria under an obligation not to tolerate on their territories organizations intended to deprive the populations under their jurisdictions of their rights and democratic liberties, and those countries had in no way violated the clauses of those treaties by acting as they had done. The Australian representative (Mr Makin) expressed the concern of his Government at the persistent reports of violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Bulgaria and Hungary, and stated that the