Evening star., 1946-04-20
USSR Gold Transfers
To France Doubted
Problem of Converting to Francs
Would Result in Detection
By Pertinar


PARIS, April 20 (By Wireless) The
report recently published in the United
States, that gold and foreign currencies
were freely flown out of Russia to the
French Communist party has caused
unusual interest here. In the past, the
Communists have often come under the
charge of being subsidized from Moscow
but the accusations brought against
them on that ground do not seem to
have been substantiated
An official closely acquainted with this
countrys internal administration offered
me the following enlightenment on this
subject:
The report published in America came
from American sources which the
French authorities feel they have sue
ceeded in ascertaining. But of the facts
themselves, French authorities have no
direct knowledge. They admit it would
be possible for Russian planes to unload
gold and foreign currencies on French
territory unknown to any one here
OF two big airdromes in use today
on the outskirts of Paris, one-at Orly
was rebuilt by the American Army
and the French have little to do with it.
AS to the other, at LIE Bourget, it IS
under French management but Ameri-
can, British and Soviet planes landing
there are not held liable to be inspected
by the customs and police officers.
Therefore, it cannot be rated a ply
sical impossibility that Soviet gold and
currency should be landed in France.
However, had gold and foreign cur
rencies in any great quantities been
dumped here, the benefciaries would
not find it easy to have them exchanged
INTO French currency. Indeed, no deal
OF any sort involving gold and foreign
currencieS with which the Communist
party could be linked has ever been dis
closed to the police. And let it be we'll
borne in mind that police spies, stool
pigeons and what is more, political enc
mics of several varieties, keep close
watch on the Communists.
Communists Spend More.
With all the above a certainty. It Is
not disputed that, from the day of lib
Grafton until now, the Communists
have hao more money at hand than
other political parties or groups with
which they compete. Last October, the
| Communists were believed tohave spent
during the election of the constitutions
making assembly now near the end Of
its labor no less than 100000 900 francs,
one-fourth of that sum being sunk in
an elaborate network of posters and
| other advertising devices. BY the same
token. the expenditure of the Socialists
hardly reached one-tenth of the sum
! put out by the Communists, while the
radical Socialists of Edouard Herriot
did not have at their disposal for the
electoral campaign more than 100000
or 100000 francs.
More than 100000 francs, it is true,
had been paid out by the benefactors
of the radical Socialist party but most
| OF that money stuck in the pockets Of
| Intermediates.
Where did the Communist funds come
from? The common explanation is that,
in resistance days, wagons of the Bank
! OF France bringing bank notes to the
banks branches in the provinces were
held up and looted by Communist bands.
Thus the party chest was filled for
many months to come. Indeed, it is
not denied that, in the raids on the
Bank Of France wagons, 2,5OOOOO 900
francs were seized in the district of
Perigueux and 1900 100000 near Cler-
mont-Ferrand. But in the spring Of
l945, when the bank notes then in cir
culation had to be replaced by bank
notes OF new pattern, no Communist
| money-as such-was located or iden-
titled.
Party Members Pay Up.
OF course, it may be conjectuled that
private persons made it their business
to help the Communists by bringing old
bank notes, taken out of the party
chest, and exchanging them as though
they were their own. At any rate,
while so doing, they never were found
| out. The sums captured from the Bank
| OF France conveys had probably been
| spent before the change in notes.
Nowadays, the ample financial re-
oou1 CSS dFdI1dUle 10 Iile communists
are probably accounted for by the fact
that the Communist party can muster
100000 registered members as against
100000 registered Socialists. On the
average, each one of them is disci-
plined enough to part monthly with as
much as 100 francs in order to benefit
the party. This does not make as huge
an amount as was in the possession
OF the Communist leaders last October,
but it doubtless points to readiness for
sacrifice on the part of the Commu-
nlsts unequaled by other political fac
tions. This readiness for sacrifice is to
be regarded as the handspring of the
success achieved by the Communists
last year
| Nevertheless. within seven weeks now
OF the June elections the odds are that.
while the Communists will increase the
number of their deputies in the govern
ment from ISL to some 1870, the Com
munist-Socialist coalition, taken as a
whole, is more than likely to lose
| strength, rather than gain.
| North American Newspaper Alliance)
Favorable Outlook