Evening star., 1949-02-14
Hungary
Continued From First Page)

thousands of dollars from him
when he was put in jail in
Hungary and he was said to be
still angry about the reported
incident.
An Associated Press dispatch
from Budapest said diplomatic
informants there reported Mr..
Chapiu's plans to leave Wednes-
day or Thursday. Mrs. Chaplin,
the informants said. will accom-
pany her husband on a American
plane to come from Vienna.
Clearance from Hungarian au-
,thorities, will be required for the
plane to land in Budapest.
Mr.. Chapin's departure from
Budapest after representing the
United States there for nearly two
years grows out of charges pushed
by Hungary's Communist gov
ernment during its trial and con-
viction of Joseph Cardinal Mind
szenty as an alleged traitor.
The Hungarian charges that Mr..
Chaplin was involved in the Car
dinals alleged crimes were denied
heatedly by both Mr.. Chaplin and
Secretary Acheson. Mr.. Acheson
denounced the Mindszenty trial
itself as "wanton persecution"
aimed at stamping out religious
freedom. Hungary retorted that
American officials are conducting
war of SANDER"
Preceding the demand for MIR.
Chapin's recall, the Hungarians
had ousted two members OF his
staff and the United States had re-
taliated by expelling the first Sec
retary of the Hungarian Legation
here.
The State Department left the
way open for further action in the
Chaplin case by telling the Hun
garians this Government re
served its position" in the matter,
while ordering him home "for
consultation"
Neither Wants Complete Break.
Mr.. Chaplin will remain officially
the American Minister to Hungary
even while in Washington until
this Government decides other
wise.
The American Legation in
Budapest will carry on under di-
rection of William P. Cochran, jr.,
counsellor. as charge d'affaires
temporarily.
Neither the United States nor
Hungary seems bent on complete
break in diplomatic relations.
Hungary said it would welcome"
somebody besides Mr.. Chaplin as
Minister. American officials want
to maintain staff of keen OBJ
servers in Hungary to keep Wash
ington informed of developments
in the steady suppression of all
opposition to communism in that
iron curtain country. y
Concerted attacks on church
men in Hungary and other Eastern
European countries have stirred
American suspicious that Moscow
may be getting ready to discard
the peoples democracy" system
in the Soviet satellites.
Soviet Consolidation Seen.
They also have revived the idea
that Russia is moving toward alb
sorbing the Soviet bloc states into
an expanded Soviet Union.
Top authorities on relations
with the Communist world said
today the trend appears to be in
these directions, although it is too
early to be sure either will come
about. Officials are virtually
unanimous, however, on one
point: under pressure from Mos
cow the process of shaping the
satellites into the Soviet mold has
now been speeded up.
Authorities read this meaning
into Hungary's trial of Cardinal
Mindszenty and defiance of Amer
lean displeasure, the indictment
of Is churchmen in Bulgaria, and
the current purges in Poland and
CzechoSlovakia.
These developments all are tax
en- here to support the conclusion
that the Soviet bloc Is determined
to crush the last remaining oppo-
sition quickly 50 as to present q
solid front against the Western
world. A