Evening star., 1945-02-18
Secref Deal 10 Sell
Czech Arms Plants
To France Charged
BY the Associated Press,

LONDON, Feb. II. -. Josef
Malik. managing director of the
Czech National Bank. charged
tonight that secret negotiation
for the sale of the famous
Skoda works and other munition
firms in Czechoslovakia between
agents of Benes and De Gaulle"
had reached an advanced stage.
An outspoken opponent of the
government of President Eduard
Benes, Malik said these negotia-
tions not only included the possible
sale of the Skoda and Brno arma-
ment works, but also the mining
and smelling works at Teschen and
Vitkovice.
Called in Investigation.
The first assertion that the
Czechoslovak government was ne
gotiating with the French was
made at a meeting of Czech and
slovak nationals in London Febru-
ary IA by Mal,k when he appealed to
the British government to demand
that the Benes government examine
all its ordinary expenses before the
president left for the homeland.
Officials of the exiled govern
ment said they had heard nothing
about the reported negotiations
They said that as soon as the areas
where the arRament plants were
located were liberated they would
start working for the Allies. AL
though admitting some approaches
regarding sale of the works might
have been made, they termed such
a transaction unlikely"
Malik declared the negotiations
had gone so far that "a kind of
agreement was reached" before
Gen. Charles de Gaulle's trip to
Moscow.
Under Schneider Control.
He said French financial inter
ests were particularly interested"
in seeing the Skoda works again |
under French control Control of
these works passed into French |
hands through Eugene Schneider,
often called the merchant of
death" after the last war.
THE French group of Schneider
and Creusot," Malik said, man
aged with the help of Benes, who
was then foreign minister, to get |
hold of the Skoda works at PilSen
and also the biggest iron and steel
works at Teschen at a dirt-cheap
price
French financial interests in
these two most important Czech
concerns amounted
to 50 per cent of the capital stock
and, consequently, they had the
in their hands.
Then, after 18 years under
French control. these works were
sold for about 11,500,000 to a
Czech consortium headed by DR..
Edward Outrata, close friend and
of Benes, when Czecho-
slovakia was carved up at Munich"
Nazis Took Over in 1899.
The Nazis took over the plants on
February Is. 1899. There have
been indications that the Benes
government intended to place the
Skoda and other armaments plants
under state control when it returns
home.
CZechoSlovak officials said the
works would continue to turn out
until both Germany and
Japan were defeated, then be con-
Jerted to peacetime production.
President Benes told his people in
/ broadcast tonight that he was
eaving almost Immediately for
CzechoSlovakia to establish new
Interim government to serve until
he entire country was liberated
and free elections might be held.
He promised to see that new
state arose with order of our own,
by ourselves for our
selves in accordance with our re- ]
luirements and the will of our !
people"
New Stage of Liquidation.
He warned Czechoslovaks against
being intimidated by Nazi Propa-
ganda Minister Goebbels' "Bolshe-
Vik bogey," declaring that the So
Wet Union wishes us to be inde-
pendent, strong, steadfast and pros
porous"
Mr.. BeneS said that with his de-
parture from London the Czecho-
slovak state organiZa ton abroad
LOST. II
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