The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-05-07
STAINS
COLONIES
BY VILLAIN L. RYAN
AP Foreign News Analyst

en- learn domestic work and house
keeping, English, French and 9th.
er languages. When they get out,
they get jobs.
These women, say underground
reports, become agents of the Sc
cret police. Their special assign
ments: Domestic work in the
homes of foreign diplomats. The
information they pick up in such
jobs is channeled back to the po-
lice.
This Is only one Of many things
underlying the widespread atmos-
phere of fear and distrust which
pervades Czechoslovakia after
four years Of chaotic rule by the
Communists.
A European businessman recent
ly out of the country says this
atmosphere has deepened greatly
since he visited there year ago.
Today no CZechoslovak official,
whether of state-run business or
in any other line of endeavor, can
see foreigner unless a witness
is present. Everybody is suspect.
The deep river of suspicion en-.
CULTS the party, too, in the wake
OF the expulsion of its General
Secretary Rudolf Slansky.
There are many rumors, many
reliable reports about the party
! and the government. Sitting them
/ all, one impression is inescapable.
No matter what the current al
liances and the current pressures,
President Klement Gottwald is in
trouble.
There are many varying views
of his trouble. Some say he is
engaged in a bitter struggle with
Premier Antonin Zapotocky, try.
ing to pin on the Premier thu
blame for economic failures. 9th.
ers-there was a report like this
from Yugoslavia-say Gottwald Is
struggling against the Moscow
wing of the party. But other sourc'
es, at least as well informed as
the Yugoslavs, insist Gottwald has
asked Mocow to remove from
power some of his present lieuten.
ants, possibly including Zapotocky
Exiles in the United States in.
sist there is only one boss in Com
munit-ruled Czechoslovakia: Stall
in. They insist-like many in Eu
Irope-that Gottwald has been told
what Moscow requires from Czech
oslovak industry, and that he /.
not bringing performance up t.
the schedule. There is speculation
Gottwald, recently reported ailing
may even 60 to Moscow for the
famed Moscow cure"
In any event, the party Is ir
turmoil. A short time ago ir
Prague, about 100 party men
mostly district party secretaries
were arrested in connection with
the Slansky affair.
II is another evidence OF the
sickness which strikes Communis,
Parties in power. The same sick.
ness that caused the Com
munists to arrest V1adi
mir Clements, former foreign
minister, largely because he once
had connections with the West. He,
like Slansky, has not yet gone on
trial. 1t was the same sickness
which caused the Communists to
arrest the Associated Press cor
respondent, william N. Oats, and
sentence him to prison on a charge
of spying. In the distorted view oil
a Communist, a newspaperman
performing his job is a spy.
While the party struggles, the
people shuttle through life in an
attitude of hopelessness. Now and
then there are reports of some re-
sistance from miners cutting down
on production or factory workers
silently opposing the speedup Of
socialist competition.
Communist bosses rant against
ahsenteeiSm and send the worse
offenders into forced labor. But
in many places the Communists
are obliged TO move slowly. be-
cause of threat that workers
will leave their Jobs en- masSe.
The Russians, az in the other
captive nations. are taking over
everywhere. In the schools Soviet
methods have been installed. All
Soviet holidays are observed and
sehool buildings post pictures Of
Stain. Only maps printed in the
U. s S. r. may be used.
A school teacher earns about
5000 crowns . month. To get this
job she must be screened. parti-
cularly for the higher classes, or
knowledge Of things Communist
and Soviet and on the candidate =
record Of telling the children con.
stantly about Stain