Evening star., 1951-09-14
Squeezing the Czech Reds

Although not described as SUCH the ban on
all Czech airline flights across West Germany is
obviously pressure move designed to promote
some sober second thinking in Prague regarding
the case of William N. Oats.
Mr.. Oats, the American Associated Press
correspondent who has been sentenced to i'm
prisonment for 10 years after a sham trial on
charges of espionage, has been swallowed up by
the puppet Czech tyranny so completely that not
even our embassy officials have been allowed to
see or talk with him to determine the state of
his health, give him comforting messages from
his loved ones, or assure him that he has not
been forgotten by his countrymen.
In effect though he himself probably will
hear no word of it, the flight ban serves notice
on his prosecutors that the United States Gov
ernment, rejecting the outraged feelings of
scores of millions of citizens, has Mr.. Oats very
much in mind and is ready to turn the heat on
more and politically and economically
in an effort to force the Kremlin- serving Czech
Reds to undo their grave crime against him.
Further, as far as air travel over West Germany
is concerned, this is not just an American action,
but an action backed to the full by France and
Britain.
Under the ban-as announced jointly by the
allied Anglo French American High Commission
the Czechoslovak Airlines Company, which is
owned by the Prague regime will be forbidden
over any part of West Germany. What this
means is that the Czechs will now have to resort
to time-consunling and costly detours If they
wish to maintain their regular scheduled flights
to such places as Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
In and of itself, of course, this is not likely to
bring about the liberation of Mr.. Oatis but it
should serve at least to impress upon his jailers
that the United States is determined to follow
a course of action, step by step and with mount
ing intensity, aimed at making them rue the
day that they framed him.
Thus, wholly apart from the flight ban, the
indications are that our Government-in keeping
with the congressional resolution urging sever
ance of all commercial relations with them until
Mr.. Oats is freed-haS begun to put an ever
Tightening economic squeeze upon the Czech
Reds They are finding it increasingly difficult
to get any of their dollar-earning goods into our
country, and the flow of our goods to them is
slowing down to a trickle. True enough, this
may not bother them too much, but If they run
into the same experience with Britain, France
and other Western powers-as they may-the
pinch is bound to hurt.
Moreover, political preSsures-within and
outside the United Nations-can be exerted to
good effect. Such pressures, if brought to bear
not only by the United States, but by the West
as whole, can place the Prague regime on the
defensive both at home and abroad. At home,
for example, they can do much to encourage the
fine Czech people, vast numbers of whom are
as liberty-oving and as rebellious in their hearts
against tyranny as Frajek Jarda, the engineer
who has just driven his locomotive to freedom
This is matter that the United States,
together with like-minded nations, should pur-
sue as vigorously as possible-not simply for
Mr. Oats sake, but also for the sake of demon
strating the free worlds resolve not to let the
lawleSs get away with their crimes.