Katyn Massacre letter spurned by Soviet gov’t By RALPH PARKER Through its Washington embassy the Soviet government -has returned to the United States State Department a letter from Con- gressman Madden, chairman of the commission for investigating the so-called “Katyn affair” which the state department recently sent to the Soviet embassy. In this letter Madden asked the Soviet government for “evidence” con- cerning a large number of Polish officers taken prisoner by the Red Army in 1939. Two ‘years later they fell into German hands and were murdered by the Nazis in woods near Smolensk. Madden’s pro- usual norms of; international re- jations and was insulting to theg@ Soviet Union. the Katyn crime had already been R PARKER investigated in : 1944 by a special commission in- cluding such well-known figures as Academician Burdenko, Alexei Tolstoy and Metropolitan Nikolai and that the U.S. government had let eight years pass before questioning the commission's findings that the Hitlerites were responsible for the murders. On March 3, the Soviet news- paper Pravda devoted over half its total space to reprinting the] commission's report, a thorough- going detailed document that made a deep impression on the world when it was originally pub- lished on January 26, 1944. It is worth recalling that all foreign correspondents .then in Moscow were invited to the scene of the investigation, the party including Kathleen Harriman, daughter of Averill Harriman. Nine months previously the So- viet government had interrupted relations with thé Polish govern- ment exiled in ‘London following that ‘government’s collaboration inviting the International Red Cross to participate in the farcical investigation staged iby the Hitler authorities. The Polish govern- ment did not even find it neces- 'Sary to address to the Soviet government any inquiry for an explanation. Nazi responsibility for the Katyn murders was final- ly established in the Nuremberg trial. It is also pertinent to recall that when a question insinuat- ing Soviet responsibility was put in the British House of Commons during the war, Foreign Minister Anthony Eden rejected it with indignation as insulting to the British govern- Se Malan gov t gisken by protests against ban eae CAPETOWN The South African nationalist government has again refused to disclose its intentions towards the progressive weekly newspaper Guardian which it has repeatedly terms of the “suppression_ of threatened to. ban under the oCmmunism” act, but against which jt has, thus far, failed to take final action: Justice Min- ister ‘C. R. ‘Swart has refused five requests to debate the matter at _ this session of parliament despite the fact that the government is ’ known to have reached a decision on the fate of the newspaper. Swart also refuses to meet a depu- tation of members of parliament representing all the opposition parties which opposes sulppres- sion of the Guardian. In the House, on March 4, he finally an- nounced that he was not prepar- ed to declare ‘his intentions at this stage. The general feeling is that the government is shaken by “the ‘wide-spread cirticism of its pro- poal to ban the Guardian, but re- fuses to withdraw in the hope that the continuing threat will eventually force the newspaper to close down for financial reasons. with the Hitler government in| MOSCOW | a Here, two of the defendants in the Greek “spy trial,” Margarita Kaloumenou and her mother, are shown leaving the courtroom. Stanley Moore, a British barrister who observed the trial report- ed that most of the “evidence” consisted of es ey diatribes.” (See story on this page). ASKS UN DISCUSSION Buck protests Greek sentence to Pearson A demand that the death sentences against Nicos Beloyannis, his wife Elli Joannidou and six other Greek patriots ‘be withdrawn, has been made by cable to Greek Premier Plastiras and to Canada’s External Affairs Minister L. B. Pearson by Tim Buck, LPP national’ leader. In his letter to Pearson, Buck declared: “We have today cabled Premief Plastiras of ‘Greece urging the imemdiate reprieve of death sen- tences passed ‘on Nicos Beloyan- nis and seven of his colelagues, including his wife Elli Toannidou, for their activities in behalf of peace and Greek independence . . - “We urge you to raise this mat- ter in the United Nations so that the repressive actions of the vee government may be made own throughout the world, and He terror now ‘being waged demned ‘by ‘democratic opinion in all countries. “We also suggest ‘that the ends of democracy would be served if you would make a dtatement on this case in the House of Com- mons, especially in view of the fact that under the terms of NATO Canadians are being ask- ed to guarantee the existence of the very Greek state which is perpetrating these outrages.” Paper discloses details of pact ‘Mexico rejected MEXICO CITY Some of the provisions of the military pact which the United States unsuccessfully sought with nee the Greek people ne Mexico are revealed in a front- page story in El Pepular, The conditions were that Mex- ico should make maximum contri- butions in men and materials to the “free world’; assume military obligations undertaken by the U.S.; and permit the installation ‘by the U.S. on Mexican territory of new air and naval bases and the use of those already establish- ed there. Greek trial denounced by barrister LONDON * Stanley Moore, a British: 'bar- rister, who sat as an observer through the recent military court trial of 23 Greek men and women, charged on his return there that Une trial “was conducted in the worst possible way from the point. of view of the prisoners.” The 23 men and women wer€ accused of treason after Greek authorities, amid great publicity, uncovered in Altthens an under ground radio setup which they claimed was used ‘to transmit secret military information td the Soviet Union and eastern | European nations. Eight defendants, including ~Communist leader Nicos Bel eyannis and Mrs. Helen Ion- nidou, mother of a 6-month old — baby, were condemned to death. Four others were sentenced to life imprisonment and 11 re- ceived long prison terms. Moore said evidence introduced — about a secret code in which the messages were allegedly sent could easily have been fabricated — loy police. “Even if one could ac cept the evidence regarding the © code,’ he pointed out, “the mes- sages are mainly political and when they referred to military matters are either couched in the most general iterms or else refer to facts which were commonly known throughout ‘the whole of Greece.” Bulk of the “evidence” against the defendants, the said, : sisted of statements by import ant police and army officials, which were nothing but political diatribes against the Communist . party. They did not stop short at making the most monstrous charges against the conduct of the Communist party. and itS — leaders over the past dozen years.” : Moore said the prosecution witnesses “were quite clearly using the trial as an attempt to arraign EDA (The Union of Democratic Left) in order that the government could then de-— clare it illegal.” The British barrister said he was convinced ‘the accused “would already have ‘been shot were it not for the demonstrations made by Greek prisoners, who com- menced a ‘hunger strike, and by the obvious feeling against the executions on the part of Greeks of all shades of political opinion. And this campaign was decisively reinforced ‘by the many resolu- tions of protest from the country; | the Soviet Union, the people’s de mocracies, France, Italy, ete., against the executions.” TWO THOUSAND DELEGATES AT PONERSE GE As British women call for peace in Korea, Malaya By PHYLLIS ROSNER - LONDON ‘Nearly 2,000 women delegates from all parts of the British isles thronged into London two weeks ago to speak for peace in Korea, Malaya and throughout the world. They were delegates to the tremendously successful and enthusiastic National Assembly of Women. Response to:the as- sembly, which was originally planned for 1,000 delegates, was so great that it overflowed into two halls ‘besides St. Pancras, London, Town Hall. Opening the assembly was Monica Felton, who was fired from her government post after she toured North Korea with a women’s group ito investigate atrocities there. Describing the assembly as “‘the greatest occa- sion in the lives of us all here,” Mrs. Felton said: . “It has turned our fears into hopes, . Between us we hold the future of women and child- ren of the whole world in our hands. And we owe a special obligation ‘to the women and chil- dren of Korea because they are enduring the rehearsal for a third world war. - . Every one of us is living under the shadow of fear—the fear of German re- armament and what that might mean.” Speaking after Mrs..Felton was Teresa Campbell, a Liverpool housewife, who moved many dele- gates to tears. She read a let- ‘ter from her ‘son, a prisoner of war in Korea, in which jhe wrote: “Do anything you can for peace. It is dreadful out here. What- ever you do, mother, try and ‘bring the women together and work for the end of war in Ko- rea.” Mrs. Campbell, herself near to tears, said: “That's what I’m do- ing. I am not a Comntunist. I am really nothing., I am in fact a Catholic: But if’ it is only the ‘Communists that want peace, I will be a Communist.” _ The Manchester Guardian, com- menting on the meeting, said: “Possibly most of the women ‘were ‘really nothing’... but as the meeting pregressed it became more militant, more successful from ‘the organizers’ point of view, more Sane for the dele- gates.” Speaker after sear declared herself for peace; disarmament and against the government cutS _ in social services and the rising — cost of living. The delegates un" animously approved a declaration | promising to “carry this assent ibly’s message of ‘hope through out the ‘length and breadth of this country.”