Evening star., 1951-09-05

JectlVeS or driving nome to TIT
! Communist leaders in Czecho.
: Slovakia and elsewhere that oul
! citizens will no longer take sucl
miStreatment of American citizens
jpassively, that we urge expulsion
of the Tass representatives"
The current issue of the Con-
gressional Directory lists foul
representatives of the TasS agency
!. as members of the Congressional
press galleries. Only one of them
Mikhail Fedorov, chief of the TasS
bureau here, is Russian. The
others - Laurence Todd. Jean
Montgomery and Euphemia K
Virden-are Americans. So far as
lis known. Czechoslovakia has nc
correspondents in this country.
Telephone Line" Statement.
/ The State Departments expo
sure of the secret telephone line
evidence apparently was designed
Jas part of a campaign to show up
to the world what the department
Icalled the Communist technique
Iof building from many true facts
one big lie"
"One of the tricks which the
ICzechoslovak Communist regime
used in railroading the Associated
Press Correspondent Bill Oats to
prison" the department said, was
the story of the secret telephone
line"
I Mr.. Oats prosecutors depicted
this as mysterious, secret line. "
while the truth is that it was
actually not in the least secret, p"
the department said.
I 1t quoted evidence brought out
Eby the Communist prosecutors to
1.-THE effect that Mr.. Oats used as
% secret" line a telephone in the
adjoining Office of an engineer,
Jan Knetl.
The Communist experts in
charge of masterminding phony
case against Mr.. Oats" the de-
partment, said, introduced this
idea of a secret telephone line
and clandestine attempt to
levade the vigilance of the security
police Wire-tapperS as evidence
that Mr.. Oats was not a CORE
lspondent but a spy"
Shared Same Office.
Actually, the department said,
the Associated Press and Mr..
Knetl occupied the same suite of
Offices in Prague. Mr.. Knetl's
name is below that of the Asso-
ciated Press on the entrance door,
it pointed out.
''Mr. Knetl, a forestry engineer
rarely in Prague. required only
one room in the suite and put his
telephone at the disposition of
the Associated Press without
thinking that he was participating
/ in clandeStine operation. No
wonder, as arrangements were
openly made to have the bill for
the telephone sent by the tele-
phone company to the Associated
Press for payment"
The department said that in a
real trial." Mr.. Oats or his de-
fense counsel would have pre-
sented these facts to the court,
but mot so in the Communist
kangaroo court set up for Bill
Oats"
Burdick Attacks CZechs.
Earlier, Representative Burdick.
Republican, of North Dakota, said
he will offer legislation to lay the
groundwork for ending trade with
Czechoslovakia until that Com
munist nation releases Mr.. Oats.
What I am driving at is to get
that fellow out of JAIL" Mr.. Bur-
dick told a reporter. Words won't
do it, but action will Congress
must act, and act quickly"
Mr.. Burdick said that when the
House returns from it's recess Sep
tember IL he will offer a resolu-
ton calling for United States
withdrawal from the General
Agreement on Trade and Tariffs
(known as GATT). an organiza-
tion under the United Nations.
Mr.. Burdick said this country
is powerless to break off trade
relations with the Czechs as long
as it belongs to GAIT, which
was set up in 1947. The United
States and Czechoslolvakia are
members.
: Calls 1t Unconstitutional.
Mr.. Burdick said a suspension
lof trade relations with Czecho-
slovakia under GAIT would re-
quire the approval of two-thirds
of the 80 member nations, anC
he said this could not be OBJ
tanned.
"The only solution is to with
draw from GAIT. which was ano
lis unconstitutional anyway" Mr.
, Burdick said. Congress never die
approve GAIT.
"If we take this step and follow
up by a notice that trade relations
, with Czechoslovakia will be sew
!, cred, I am quite confident that
Mr.. Oats will be freed.
THE only things that the Com
;. munist-governed countries rec
iogniZe are Cd their StomachS anC
20 guns. If we end trade with
: the Czechs it would bring Mr.
. Oats out of JAIL
a Says Truman's Hands Are Tied.
: Mr.. Burdick said President Tru.
S mans hands are now tied or
: bringing economic pressure
: -Iagainst Czechoslovakia, but tina
: they would be united if Congress
S approves his resolution.
. Tha resolution states that Il