Evening star., 1947-12-01
By Leonard Kirschen
BY the Associated Press

the name of Anna Pauker, Roma
MAS new foreign minister, are so
closely associated that 1t Is some
times difficult to determine where
her personal initiative ends and that
Of the party begins.
For three decades "Tovarish An
n.y." as the Romanian comrades call
her, has been making history under
ground and in the open in Balkan
politics.
The first woman named to direct
. nations foreign policy, Anna has
been described as a woman of mys-
terry" but there Is nobody in Ro-
mania who does not know her by
name and who cannot recite from
memory some episode of her vivid
life.
Beloved Of her followers and hated
By her foes, her courage and unwa-
vering attitude are admired by all.
In the complicated machinery Of
Balkan politics, Anna Pauker is a
vital part that does not break down
and could only with difficulty be
replaced.
Gives Up Career.
It was during her student days
during the first World War that she
became interested in socialism. She
was 50 absorbed by the new social
teachings, and financially in such
dire straits, that she gave up her
medical studies and became teach
er to earn living.
In 1918 she was arrested for cir
culating leaf1et urging world peace.
Soon after she led a demonstration
in the national theater square in
Bucharest which was dispersed by
machine gun fire at the express
order of Gen. Alexandra Averescu,
at that time Prime Minister.
In 1922 she became member of
the Central Comitmtee of the Ro-
manian Communist Party, job she
has held without interruption for
q quarter of a century. In 1924 Ion
Bratianu's liberal government out
lawed the Communist Party. Anna
was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
but was pardoned under a general
amnesty. She went abroad for a
few years then and was sentenced
'in absentia" to 10 years which she
never served.
Returns to Romania.
However, she returned to Ro-
mania in the 30s and with other
members of the Communist Party
organized anti-Fascists committees
throughout the country. At this
time Anna, although we'll known in
the party and to the Romanian
secret police, was not known to the
masses.
In 1885 when the secret police
made drive to liquidate the Com
muniSts. Anna and several leading
party members were arrested In
raid in which Anna was wounded
twice by police bullets. She recov-
cred and was tried in 1886 with
Gheorghe Gheorghie-Dej, now Min
lister of Trade and Industry, by
military tribunal.
It was during her Imprisonment
before the trial that Anna had the
chance to show her undaunted and
unf1inching character Military mag
istrates who know the story have
supplied the details.
Brought before the interrogating
MAGISTRATE, she stubbornly refused
to answer any questions. When
asked her name, those of her COM
rades, what she was doing, whether
she admitted the charges against
her, Anne replied only Il don't
know"
Mistreatment Fails.
Sent back to prison, secret police
using third degree methods got no
better results. Day after day OF re-
fined mistreatment produced no In
formation from the stubborn Anna.
Taken again and again to the inter-
rogation, her monotonous answer
was "I don't know"
Her trial had nationwide pub
licity. The democratic newspaper
"Diminieata" The Morning and
It's sister afternoon paper. Adeverul
run by Annas brother r-in-law, Emil
Pauker, sent their best photograph
ers and reporters.
Anna stub5ornly maintained her
position and nothing could break her
down. The woman of so had defeat
cd the secret police, the military
prosecutor and the military court,
but it was a phyrric victory and she
was sentenced to Is years imprison-
ment.
Gracing almost every Romanian
prison with her presence, Anna con-
tinued her work. Relentlessly, by
secret means that only the party
knew, she worked at organizing the
party from prison, issuing directives,
planning intensively for the future.
After the retrocession of Bessara-
bia to the Russians in l94l, the Ro-
manian government assented to her
exchange for three leading Roman
ians who were caught by the Rus
SLAMS in Bessarabia, and so, few
weeks before Romania declared war
on the Soviet Union, Anna again
was free.
Broadcast for Russians.
Through the war Romanians could
hear her sharp voice broadcasting
regularly over the Russian stations.
The ghost that had haunted every
Romanian government since 1918
was present and active again.
Anna Pauker spent three years in
Russia touring Romanian prisoner
of war camps as Communist mis-
sionary, making many converts.
Slowly she started organizing Ro-
manian volunteers. the famous
Tudor Vladimirescu," "Horia
Closca and Crisan" divisions. Her
own 24-year-old son served in the
Tudor Vladimirescu" division in
hard fighting in Slovakia against
the retiring Germans