te soo ||| Trial of 12 U.S. Communist leaders concludes Acquittal. plea declares democracy at issue Completion of the defense in the trial of the 11 ee gaping holes in the prosecution’s trumped-up “force and violence attorneys finished oral argument in support o or direct a verdict of acquittal. A brief reply by U.S. Attorney ; John F,. X, McGohey opposing the motions quickly developed into a duet in close harmony between him and Judge Medina, At one point Medina stated: “Certainly the government’s case is stronger at the conclusion of the whole Case than it was at the conclusion of the government’s case.” Defense Attorney A. J. Isser- man, examining the testimony against two of the defendants, John Williamson, labor secretary of the Communist party, and Gil Green, Illinois Communist chair- man, showed that it rests chiefly on the fact that they recommend- ed the study of Marxist-Stalinist books. ‘ “Tf that is a crime,” he said, “then _we’re beyond the book-burn- ing that took place in Germany, we're beyond the Reichstag fire trial which history has condemn- ed as a frameup.” Another defense attorney, Harry Sacher, cited the fact that the star government witness, the renegade and _ professional informer Louis ¥F. Budenz, “though he was associated with many of the defendants for 10 years, was unable to point to a By A. B. MAGIL charges. rT SS SS ,—NEW YORK. leaders of the U.S. Communist party here tore With the jury absent, defense f motions that Judge Harold Medina dismiss the indictment sion. The issue which is present- ed by this case is not whether 11 men conspired to speak words which the law prohibits. The is- sue is whether in the United States of America our constitu- tional government will survive. single meeting at which they ag- reed among themselves to teach and advocate ‘the overthrow of the United States government by force and violence.” Eugene Dennis, the Communist party’s general secretary, acting as his own counsel, warned that the trial struck at the very foun- dations of the Bill of Rights. Pointing out that the adminis- tration is not charging any plots or coups d’etat, treason or sedi- tion, Dennis charged it is “seeking to try ideas” in accordance with “its bi-partisan . cold-war policy and vendetta against progress- ives.” He termed the trial of books and ideas an “un-American and devilish subterfuge” worthy of a Hitler or Goebbels. “The prosecution has tried to place a new defendant in the dock, that is, the theory and philosophy of Marxism-Lenin- ism,” Dennis said, “The police state techniques employed by the government is most sinister and simple, as well as a mon- strous frameup from beginning to end.” The Communist general secre- tary pointed out that if “a con- viction were forthcoming on the indict- then others who read or circulated the proscribed books— non-Communists as well as Com- prosecution’s ment” grotesque “The government in this case asserts the right to throttle poli- tical opposition, to impose thought controi by outlawing a world phil- «osophy now over 100 years old. To send men to jail for the beliefs munists — would be taken into} which they hold.” “protective custody.” Defense Attorney George W. “This police court trial of a Crockett made the judge wince}century of thought and _ historic when, tearing to shreds the gov- of. “conspiracy” he read from the 1948 edition of “Free Speech in the U.S.” Chafee, pro- fessor of law at Harvard and the free speech cases, had written: “And no Com- munist party a party of conspir- ernment’s theory Prof. Zecharia Chafee’s outstanding authority on one can soberly term .the , experience dishonors and defames our country in the eyes of world opinion,” the brief stated. It point- ed out that “trials such as these are not new. The rise of fascism makes it clear that political trials of Communists and of the Com- munist party are but a precursor ? acy.” to an attack upon all democratic The defense brief—a _ scholarly| groups, upon all those who are yet vigorous document — boldly thrust the central issue before the court. “This is the first time in the history of this country”, the brief said, “that men have been tried as Griminals solely: because they sought to participate in the democratic process through the organization of a political party as a means of political expres- opposed to the drive towards war, to the rule of monopoly, to the extinguishment of popular liber- ties.” ee a a British Railwaymen make new demands LONDON The National Union of Rail- waymen, with 500,000 members, hag reacted to government re- jection of its demand for a 10 shilling ($1.40) weekly overall pay increase by putting in an- other claim, for a $5 ($14) mini- mum wage for all workers. Be- fore devaluation, 5 pounds would have been worth $20: In refusing all wage increases under its wage-freeze policy, the Labor government has placed it- self in opposition to the work- ers who voted it into power. Left-wing. groups now have a greater appeal to the workers. On the other hand, Winston Churchill’s Conservative party is also trying to take advantage of the disillusionment ,of many. With elections near, the London Times, leading conservative news- paper, has been blaming the gov- ernment for “inflexibility” in re- fusing to raise wages. with democratic troops Greek people meet i th Were residents of a liberated town meet wl heavy fighting this summer, has it by the Athens regime Greek fascists Free Greeks charge rea ATHENS The Greek government has ad- mitted execution of 1,223 political Opponents, unionists and others during the past three years. Greek democrats say the real number exceeds 4,000. More than 70,000 Greeks are in prison or exile. The Averoff prison alone holds 860 Women, of whom 650 are. under Sentences of death or life im- prisonment. soldiers of the Democratic army which yin beaten back the U.S.-armed and financed armies sent to “annihilate” Y electrical workers’ union. from the UN and its own state- ment that all death sentences would be reviewed. The unsched- uled debate that followed Pipinelis’ statement in the Political and Security Committee .of the '!UN General Assembly also showed that the Greek government has many allies determined to take the heat off it in the international body. The debate began when the Bye- lorussian representative on the committee asked its’ Canadian chairman, Lester B. Pearson, whether he had made a promised inquiry in Greece and received any reply. The Byelorussian further asked, with much. feeling, what Pipinelis had meant when he had previously said in committee that executions had stopped and all cases had been sent to appeal courts. ‘ “If the Greek representative’s purpose was to deceive this. com- mittee, it was a cheap trick,” the Byelorussion declared. “What is happening in Greece reminds me of what happened in my country when people who stood up to de- fend democracy were killed in brutal ways. I know. I headed a commission which dug up 25,000 corpses of SByelorussions, Jews, Poles, Ukrainians and Russians killed by the Nazis.” Chairman Pearson complained dink 1223 executed, | figure 4000 tention. A British Trades Union Congress appeal for the lives of 10 Greek maritime union leaders, now under sentence of death, led to a British official being allow- ed to visit one of the arrested The Free Greek Radio continues to report atrocities by royalist troops. It states that at Grevena, early in September, royalist sol- diers paraded in the streets car- rying the severed heads" of five soldiers of the Democratic army. ‘A lull may take place In execu- tions of political prisoners during the United Nations General a sembly session, when they mg attract too much international at- men. Judging however, by past light on the situation. experience, such lulls are followed by new waves of killing unless continued protests keep a spot- that the Byelorussian “was go- ing to ask me a question but made a statement instead which may or may not be justified.” Pearson said he hoped that “we will not have a discussion.” Im- | mediately afterwards, he let Pi- pinelis have the floor. The Greek said the Byelorussian had been “rude” and that he had noted that this had “disconcerted” the chairman also. Then he gave his idea of democracy and the limits that should govern debate, even in the UN. “In olden days speakers who contravened decor- um were punished. I am sorry our rules of procedure don’t allow that here,” Pipinelis said. When Soviet and east European PACIFIC TRIBUNE — OCTOBER 14, 1949 — PAGE 3 Pearson squashes protest against Greek executions —LAKE SUCCESS It is no use “‘trying to drag a man from his grave.”’ This cynical statement was made last week by Greek Assistant Foreign Minister Panayous Pipinelis in response to a Polish inquiry in the United Nations about what had happened to Georgiu Demosthenes, leader of the Greek In making this answer, Pipinelis admitter that his government con- tinues to execute prominent unionists despite world-wide protests, appeals Union leader’s wife asks for UN help LAKE SUCCESS Betty Ambatielos, wife of Greek maritime union leader Tony Am- batielos who faces execution any moment by the Athens royalist government, has appealed to Un- ited Nations Assembly President Carlos P. Romulo of the Philip- pines to intervene ion behalf of her husband and nine other Greek union leaders now under death sentences. Mrs. Ambatielos re- ported, in a cable from London to Romulo, that the Greek Council of Grace (court of appeals) was about to reject an appeal lodged by her husband. She wrote that this would result in his execution after the “11 months of agony of doubt and fear” that have -passed since Australian Foreign Minister Herbert V. Evatt, president of the last UN Assembly at Paris, ob- tained a reprieve for all 10 men. delegates tried to answer, Pearson ruled them out of order. Ukrain- ian representative Dimitri Manu- ilsky protested that “all delega- tidns should have a right to speak when lives are at stake.” Polish delegate KatzSuchy said: “We asked a question and were prom- ised a statement today. Where is it?” Soviet delegate A. Ariutinian said: “The Greek representative says the rules of procedure have been violated. Perhaps. But peo- ple are dying.” U.S. delegate Philip Jessup mov- ed adjournment. The chairman sil- enced everyone else by saying that a motion to adjourn could not be debated. Since a majority of dele- gations in the UN vote with the U.S. on\all matters, the meeting was. adjourned. In the meantime, Greek unionists continue to be ex- ecuted. ASO AEE) Bieta