Warmongers
talk peace:
Ehrenburg

VIENNA
Attempts to lull public opinion
by camouflaging war preparations
with the language of peace were
€xposed by Soviet novelist Ilya
Bhrenburg here last week. He
told delegates to the fifth session
ef the World Peace Council:

“They (statesmen) have changed
their vocabulary. They have be-
Sun to speak as if they had studied,
or even learned by heart, a Buda-
best Appeal issued by the World
Peace Council for negotiations be-
tween the Great Powers to settle
Outstanding differences.

‘

“Since our last session these
Statesmen have made a whole
Series of declarations on the need
fo lessen international tension.
During the same period, how-
ever, they have taken measures
that can only aggravate the in-
ternational tension.

“Once, when we spoke of peace,
the enemies of peace spoke of war,”
© went on. “We demanded the
Prohibition of atomic weapons, they
€xtolled them. ;

“When we emphasised the ne-
Cessity of putting an end to the
war in Korea, they replied they
Would fight it to the end.

“When we proposed a pact of

Deace, they rejected any suggestion

of negotiation. At that time, they
ad no need for camouflage. Now
€Y speak of negotiations.

“They hope to gain time, to lull
Ee opinion, and then at the de-
“om moment, _breaking off a
eh a On peace in the middle of a
ato, » to recommence openly their
h ™m bomb diplomacy and their

Ydrogen bomb policy.

“They have admitted that in
8 Peaceful isles of Bermuda
sd will discuss new methods of
Ucting the cold war. This
us Not, of course, prevent them
™ speaking formally of peace.

“ie will not prevent the three
Settle tne Powers who intend to
future © question of Germany’s
“oe Over the head of the fourth
tnif » Tom speaking stil] of the
Cation of that country.”

s htenburg, dean of Soviet writ-

ning Posed the dishonesty of pro-

“Cation an agreement for the unifi-

ermany and then doing

to deepen the division
ntry,

es, British Peoples do not ap.
revenc. e Support given to the
8¢-seeking elements of West-
*tmany, nor the conclusion
agreements with Chiang
or Syngman Rhee,” he
‘m1,
peop ine the aspirations of their
account, certain Brit-
Sates have tried to put for-
at Watory Proposals,
have » seaders of the United States
these Overtun thing to prevent
ed up. Tes from being follow-

6

the U.S. leaders
heir British Part-
the idea of the
Po ertal
®robably ‘

: British Conservatives
the do
Eng]
va

Still put their faith in
annel and, while
eancuts open their
t Ivisions, the
© keep the Channel to ating

ish
Prefop

Yet the exist

€nce of the Chan-
9-calm the fears

Per’s fears

tries of Western
longer speak of

Peace proposal in Viet Nam

negotiations.”
newspaper Expressen.

dispute among French puppet leaders in Saigon (top). :
year war, begun when the French government betrayed its war-
time pledges to recognize the independence of Viet Nam, has cost
hundreds of thousands of French

economic crisis.

Reports from Paris this week stated that Ho Chi Minh (bottom),
president of the People’s Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, -had
stated his readiness to meet an armistice proposal
“ii, having learnt the lesson of these vears of war, the French gov-
ernment wishes to have an armistice and settle the question by
The report was first published in the Stockholm
It was said to have touched off a bitter

from France

The seven-

lives and deepened France's

to help

in the British colony posed by the
British government’s action in oust-
ing the People’s Progressive gov-
ernment.

Only a few foreigners have had
the privilege in the past of address-
ing parliament members but on no
occasion has this audience heard
such moving speeches.

During their 90 minutes they
made a profound impression on
their listeners who not many years
ago had gone through ordeals simi-

lar to those in British Guiana to-
day.

Dr. Jagan declared that the is-
sue in Guiana was neither Com-
munism nor nationalization. It
was whether or not the People had
the right to vote for the govern-
ment they want.

Unlike Kenya or Malaya where
the issues were clouded, in Guiana
there .Was a clear case of the de-
struction of democracy. There

were no incidents or disturbances
there.

This was a challenge which every
democrat should take up.

Dr. Jagan appealed in the name
of democracy and civilization for
his hearers to rally India behind
their just cause and give as much
help as Possible.

’ Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru, who presided, thanked the
guests. He said that colonialism
was In retreat but that did not
mean it was completely Over, as
was seen in Guiana, where vest-
ed interests were following a
shortsighted Policy. He remind-
ed the audience not to forget the
ideals which had moved Indians
in the days of struggle.

Later, addressing a press confer-
ence here Dr. Jagan appealed’ to
the Indian government to take up
the Guiana question at Common-
wealth level.

Describing his experiences
with British Labor Party leaders
Jagan said he was convinced that

Jagan appeals
to Indian MPs

Guiana

They urged the Indian MPs to take up the challenge to democracy
Oe ee ee

‘No evidence’
says minister

LONDON
British Colonial Secretary Oliver
Lyttelton told the House of Com-
mons last week that the “evidence”
on which the five leaders of the
People’s Progressive party of Brit-
ish Guiana had been detained rest-
ed on police agents’ versions of
“conversations.”

Such “evidence,” he Said, “is of
its nature not suitable for the pro-
secution of individuals in the court
of law,” and the attorney-general
had therefore decided it was im-
practicable to prosecute them.

Lyttelton said that “two reliable
agents” had made “statements”
about “a plan to set fire to pro-
perty in Georgetown” on October
6. This, he claimed, was supported
by “unusual sales of petrol” and
by “conversation overheard.”

the right wing, led by Clement
Attlee and Herbert Morrison,
were following almost the same
Policy as the Tories.

But about his talks with the
Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Jagan
said: “We were satisfied with the
representation made to Mr. Nehru
and are grateful for his advice.”

He also reiterated the view that
India should raise the issue of
Guiana at the United Nations.

Discussing the repression, Dr.
Jagan appealed for the setting up
of a defense committee in India.
He wanted lawyers to go to Guiana
to defend the detained leaders, and
he hoped Indians would help with
funds.

One month’s program has been
arranged for their tour, in which
they will be visiting Burma, Indo-

nesia, Ceylon and Pakistan.

Kenya officer who paid five shillings a corpse acquitted

people of Kenya Africa.

Defense counsel Bryan O’Dono-
hue told of units of the King’s
African Rifles, under British offi-
cers, being officially encouraged to
compete in the killing of Africans.
One battalion, he said, had a
“barometer” erected, recording
official killings on the front and
unofficial on the back.

He thus blasted sky high the
denial of General Sir George Er-
skine, British commander-in-chief,
last July, that “the Army was run-
ning a kind of Football League in
casualties.”

Captain Gerald S. L. Griffiths,
the army officer on trial, charged
with the murder of an African
forestry worker, told the court
martial he had paid five shillings
a head to the men of his company
for killing “Mau Mau terrorists.”

He said he knew some company

i c i RY i ittal of the accused officer has
r 1 here last week which concluded with the acqui ; ¢
PE 3 F scsi world a glimpse of the terror campaign British troops are waging against the

The court heard of Africans shot in the back, dying screaming and unattended}. of a British
officer ordering killing without limit and gloating as his victims died.

NAIROBI

commanders who had given ten
shillings and added that he person-
ally kept a company “scoreboard”
in the officers’ mess.

Another officer, Captain R. E.
Joy, who turned “Queen’s evi-
dence” to save himself from pos-
sible prosecution as an accesssory
on a murder charge, told the
courtmartial that he thought the |
army could kill anyone in a pro-
hibited area.

Asked by the president of the
court: “You thought you could
shoot anyone without questioning
him in a prohibited area?” Joy re-
plied: “I have always understood
ai.

Lieutenant-Colonel R. C. Parker,
prosecuting, said Sergeant-Major
Llewellyn asked what were his or-
ders concerning shooting at a road

block. He was given the answer

that he could shoot any one as long
as they were black. He was also
told that Griffiths’ company was
going to Malaya soon and that Grif-
fiths’ wished to increase the com-
pany’s score of killings to 50.
Parker said shortly after three
civilians had been stopped at Ser-
geant-Major Llewellyn’s post, Grif-
fiths, then a major, arrived in a
jeep with a Bren-gun on a swivel
mounting.
Griffiths, who appeared to be in
a great rage, asked why the serg-
eant-major had not killed them.
Griffiths examined the passes of
the three Africans, told the oldest
to walk to the rear of the jeep and
the other two to walk forward.
“When they got ten yards
ahead of the jeep Griffiths cock-
ed the Bren gun and discharged

a burst into their backs and prac-

‘Could shoot anyone if black’

tically blew out their stomachs,”
the prosecutor declared.

Parker said the Africans were
on the road “screaming and writh-
ing,” and one of them tried to crawl
underneath the oncoming traffic
“with the intention of finishing
himself off.”

Griffiths ordered Llewellyn to
“finish off one of the Africans” and
then drew his revolver. At a sec-
and shot he finally killed the writh-
ing man, the prosecutor continued.

Griffiths was alleged to have
said to the wounded men: “You
can scream, you bastards. When
you killed my horse in Nanyuki
he screamed for a damn sight
longer.”

Defence counsel Bryan O’Dono-
van, said there was no dispute that
Griffiths had shot two Africans
with his Bren gun, nor that he had
fired at one man with his revolver,
striking him in the temple.

But one of the Africans had
later been found to be still alive
when in a truck and had then been
shot by someone else, he said.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — DECEMBER 4, 1953 — PAGE 3