Evening star., 1951-08-19
Chinese Reds Execute
Italian and japanese
For Mao Killing Plot
BY the Associated Press

HONG KONG, Sunday, Aug. 10.
The Chinese Reds, in a deadly ex-
tension of their anti-foreign cam
paign, announced today the quick
execution of an Italian and a
Japanese convicted of being hired
by the United States to assassinate
Mao Tze-tung, Communist chair
man.
The State Department has de-
nounced the Red allegations as
completely and knowingly false"
and a "bare-faced lie."
The Peiping radio said Antonio
Riva, SIS, Italian merchant, and
Rinichi Yamaguchi, Al, a japanese
bookseller, were executed in Pei
ping at 5 pm. Friday.
Paraded Through Streets.
It did not say how, but re-
ported that en- route to the exc
cution ground. "the streets they
passed through were thronged
with people who expressed their
feelings at their criminal ac-
tivities with shouts of Down with
imperialism Suppress counter
revolutionaries, Long live the
Peoples Republic of China and
Long live Chairman Mao TIE
tung.'"
The convictions were announced
Friday, along with those of four
other foreigners and one Chinese
who received prison terms up to
life for involvement in the alleged
plot. Indications were that the
condemned men were taken out
and executed Immediately.
The Red radio charged that the
"SpieS" all worked for Col. David
D. Barrett, formerly United States
military attache at Peiping and
now military attache at Taipeh,
FormoSa.
Communist propaganda organs
poured out thousands of words
about the case, denouncing
America and Col. Barrett.
neu VlCtOTy fEeuICtcu.
The Red press was quoted in
hate-filled articles saying that
this once again reveals that
American imperialism has been
deliberately plotting over a long
period to undermine our country" 4"
and predicting complete victory
in the struggle against United
States Imperialism and it's run
ming dogs"
The Reds charged that the
"plot" was to assassinate Mao and
other Red big shots by firing a
mortar and smaller weapons at
the platform during the Red re-
gime's anniversary celebration in
Peiping October /, 1850. Arrests
beginning in september were said
to have thwarted the scheme.
Il never at any time, either on
my own initiative or on orders of
any agency of the United States
Government, ever attempted to
assassinate or contrive the assassi-
nation of any one" Col. Barrett
said in Taipeh when he learned
of the Red charges.
In Washington, the State De-
partment strongly supported him,
saying such false Red allegations
"are designed to contribute to the
current and virulent Hate Amer
tca' campaign being conducted by
the Peiping regime"
This was the view also taken in
Taipeh and Hong Kong.
First Foreigners Executed.
"Frameup" was the uniform re-
action from Taipeh, stronghold Of
the Chinese Nationalists.
Hong Kong observers said the
deaths of Riva and Yamaguchi
were the first known executions of
foreigners in the Reds continuing
domestic blood purge. They ex-
pressed belief that this merging
of the home-front purge and
the anti-foreigner campaign fore
tokened further executions of
non Chinese.
Besides the two men executed.
the Red radio listed a life sentence
for Msgr. Tarciscio Martina, "a,
Bishop of Yihhsien diocese in
Hopeh Province.
Others sentenced were named
as: Henri Vetch, So, French book