Evening star., 1952-04-23
BY Edword E. Bomor

One year ago today, Communist
CZechoSlovakia threw William N.
Oats into Jail.
The Associated Press corre-
Spondent'S name has become a
symbol of free world opposition to
Communist fear and oppression.
He is still behind bars as a con-
victed spy" But it is beginning to
cost his Red captors some So mil
lion a month in American trade to
keep him there.
Commerce Department reports
show the economic squeeze which
the United States imposed in re-
taliation for Mr.. Oats arrest has
reduced the volume of Czech sales
in this country by probably 80 per
cent and is getting tighter.
The squeeze started last Octo-
ber. The Czechs had been selling
an average of more than 50 million
of their products a month in this
country. The Commerce Depart
ment said that in January, the
latest month for which figures are
complete. Czech imports totaled
only $205. .622. Included were goods
kept in bond for re-export. This
contrasted with $3,327,658 worth
of shipments for the same month
a year earlier.
Controlled by Licensing.
American exports to Czecho-
slovakia-controlled by the tight
United States Government licens-
ing system-have almost vanished.
Communist secret agents seized
Mr.. Oats last April % as he was
putting away his car for the. night
in his Prague garage.
State Department officials said
today they are still pressing for his
release. The evidence that the
near-boycott is pinching the
Czechs painfully, plus other devel-
opments, has led to hope for a
break in the case.
The Prague regime has limited it
might consider freeing Mr.. Oatis-
now 38-although at a price the
State Department has firmly ruled
out. Some authorities believe the
Communists have decided they
have nothing more to gain, in
propaganda or any other ways, ,sby
holding him longer. A possible
straw in the wind is the recent re-
lease of two American soldiers
long held in CzechoSlovakia.
Trial Staged in Prison.
The lanky former Marion Und)
reporter was told that with good
behavior" the 10-year sentence
imposed on him last July 4 would
be halved. That was after the
Communist-style trial staged in
side grim Pankranc Prison in
Prague. The charges were that as
a reporter he engaged in hostile
activities against the Communist
state and spread secret and mali
cious information. Three Czech
employees of the bureau Oats
headed were given sentences at
the same time ranging from 16 to
20 years.
The United States Government
has officially labeled the charges
as trumped up and said Mr.. Oats
was only doing his job of report
ing the news.
There is no information on this
side of the iron curtain as to
just how Mr.. Oats is faring. No
American has been allowed to talk
with him since his arrest. ...
The Czech government an
nounced that he had been brought
into court again last month to
| testify at the trial of IL agents
of the United States espionage
service" The Prague radio broad
cast his recorded testimony.
Squeeze Shows Results.
The retaliatory trade squeeze
began to show results last fall
after a slow start.
Most Czech, goods arriving in
the United States are subject to
extra customs assessments of 100
per cent Of their value. That has
tended to price Czech goods out