Evening star., 1952-12-03

OF Joseph Stain. They died at
Prague's Pankrac Prison as
traitors to Stalinism.
Prague Radio announced the ex-
ecutions. carried out only six days
Three Ukroine Offieiols Sentenced to
Deoth for EmbezzIement. Poge AS
after the II were sentenced to
death. This foreshadowe6 a pos
sible new and even broader purge
of Czechoslovak Communist ranks.
Eight of those executed, includ-
ing Slansky, were Jews whose
wooden confessions in their trial
had the appearance of concerted
attack by the Communist Party on
world Jewry. Three others who
were tried drew life sentences.
Confessions Heard.
Slansky, with former Foreign
Minister Vlado Clements and the
others. confessed to a long list of
crimes against Stalinism. Those
included "Trotskyite, Zionist,
bourgeois-nationalist" activities,
plotting with anglo American
imperialists" and other actions
communism regards as treason.
Most of the purge victims had
been high in Communist Party
councils, giving the trial the ap-
pearance of a climax of a Strug-
gle for power between Slansky
and President Klement GottWald.
But the anti-Zionist tone of the
proceedings indicated the purge
was to spread to all the other
satellite Communist countries
and perhaps even to the Soviet
republics inside the U. S. S. R.
Within the Soviet Union itself
there were signs of a growing
reign of terror, particularly in re-
publicS such as the Ukraine. There
a Soviet military court has just
sentenced three high party trade
officials to death as enemies of
the people" for embezzlement. The
heavy sentence was highly unusual
for this crime, rife throughout the
whole U. S. S. R. The charge
that the three hid gold acquired
in their operations limited that
the Ukranian underground move
ment, rising out of its own ashes,
was active again and the real
target of the breakdown.
Other Trials Expected.
Trials now are expected in Ro-
mania, where Ana Pauker, who is
Jewish and a former party boss,
has fallen from grace with many
others; in Poland and in the other
satellites. In Czechoslovakia it
looked like only the beginning Of
a reign of terror among party
stalwarts who backed the wrong
horse. The assignment of new
ambassador from Prague to Mos
COW and the arrest of the foreign
trade minister, announced yester-
day by Prague Radio, limited at
more bloodletting in the purifica-
ton of the Czech party.
The swiftness of the executions
in Pankrac Prison came as a
surprise. There had been some
thought that the II would be
spared long enough to testify
against others in the forthcoming
purge. but apparently Gottwald
did not want to risk the wait.
Kremlin Spokesman Dies.
Those who died with Slansky,
and Clements were:
Bedrich Geminder, former head
OF the Communist Party's inter-
national section and Kremlin
spokesman in Prague.
Otto Sling, former deputy sec
retary general of the party.
Ludvik Frejka, former head of
the state economic commission.
Bedrich Reicin, an ex-general
and former deputy defense min
lister.
Otto Fischl, former deputy fl
nance minister.
Rudolf Margolius, former deputy
trade minister.
andre Simone, eX-editor of the
Czech Communist newspaper Rude
Pravo.
Josef Frank, formerly Slansky's
deputy and a member of the
partys presidium.
Karl Svab. ousted last year as
deputy minister of state security.
The Other three defendants in
the mass trial were given life
(Cnn pI1RGE ponn A-AA