Evening star., 1949-02-25
France Reported
Starting Legal
Attack on Reds
Indictment of Army
To Revolt Declared
Busis for Move
BY the Associated Press

PARIS, Feb. 25.-A high gov
ernment source said today that
War Minister Paul Ramadier had
taken legal action against the
Central Committee of the French
Communist Party for allegedly in
citing the army to revolt.
The informant said Mr.. Rama
dier's complaint was based on
statements made in posters and
the Communist daily L'Humanite
during last falls miners strike.
The Ramadier complaint was
sent to Justice Minister Robert
Lecourt, the informant said. Mr..
Lecourt will send it to the public
prosecutors, whose job it is to start
action against those members of
the committee who are not mem
bers of the National Assembly.
Thorez Repeats Statement.
The reported government action
followed a speech in Parliament
yesterday in which Maurice Tho
rez, Communist Party secretary
general, repeated a statement that
the French people should welcome
the Red Army if it ever reached
France.
The government has been known
to be preparing legal steps against
the Communists since the coal
strike. in which troops took over
the mines.
The Assembly last night de-
nounced the Communist leaders
for their statement echoing Tho
rez' declaration.
Parliament is scheduled to de-
bate Friday the question of lifting
the immunity of Marcel Chachin.
editor in chief of the Communist
daily. Requests for lifting the i'm
munity of Thorez and other Com
munist Deputies from arrest are
expected to follow.
80 On Central Committee.
The number of leaders on the
Communist Central Committee
was believed to be about 80. It
includes all the top party men in
the country.
At the time of the miners strike
Communist organs called on SOL
diers not to fire on strikers. even
though the miners had been Or
dered to sabotage the coal pits.
It was at this time, too, that
the Communists began to voice
aloud the theme: France will
never fight the Soviet Union"
That strike was called early in
October by the Communicated
General Confederation of Labor.
It held over 100000 miners idle
for more than a month.
Then Interior Minister Jules
Moch sent police and army forces
to take over the mines. There
were bloody clashes in which at
least two strikers were killed and
many hundreds injured. but the
strike was broken.
Evidence to Be Taken.
1t is expected that an examin-
ing magistrate will be appointed
early next week to take evidence
on the complaint. 1t will be up
to him, according to French legal
procedure, to determine what laws,
If any. have been violated. On
this determination depends the
penalties that can be imposed.
The French law against incit-
ing soldiers to disobey their Of
f1cers carries a penalty of one
to five years imprisonment and
a fine of up to 5000 francs ($1O
The fine was fixed at time when
the franc had a much higher
value. Another law, dating back
to 1882, provides penalties up to
and including the death sentence
for acts against "the security of
the state" and incitement to civil
war.
The Assembly voted last night,
386 to 1872, to censure top French
Communists for statements such
as that made by Thorez. The AS
sembly expressed confidence the
government would take legal ac-
ton against the Communists