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British gov’t cancels Honduras elections

LONDON

The British government is repeating in British Honduras the anti - democratic Manoeuvre it executed against the constitutionally elected People’s Progressive govern- ment of British Guiana last September. The only difference is that in British Honduras

the government is acting before instead of after the election. Last week the Churchill cabinet, fearful that the People’s : :

Uhity. party would win an over- whelming majority in next month’s general election in British Hon- duras and informed by U.S. State Secretary John Foster Dulles that the U.S. government would not tolerate such a victory, decided to| cancel the election. |

Dulles told the Inter-American Conference of the Organization of American States at Caracas, Ven- ezuela, last week, that “Commun- ism” on the American continent must be crushed, and named Brit- ish Honduras,, Guatemala and British Guiana as “Red spots.”

He claimed that the People’s Unity party of. British Honduras was Communist.

British Colonial Secretary Oliver Lyttleton is now: trying to find “evidence” of a “Red: plot” in or- der to support the government’s action, as he did last September when the government suspended the new constitution of British Gui-

Pritt wins acquital

for Guianan leader

GEORGETOWN

By a jury vote of 11 to one S.

Nasrudeen, a district secretary of

the People’s Progressive Party,

was found not guilty on a charge of sedition here last week.

. . r e Japanese protest arms policy The people of Japan, who have been.vigorously protesting the U.S. occupation of their country, now have further cause to Protest.” On March 8; the U.S, and Japan signed a “mutual assist- > ance” pact by which the Japanese government is allowed to rebuild . Hs army. Called a “defense” measure, Japanese leaders will be Permitted to send troops outside Japan’s shores. Picture above Shows’ a rally of Japanese students protesting rearmament and enscription in Tokyo.

British people oppose rearming Germany

; LONDON

The executive of the British Peace Committee is to call an emerg- Stcy conference for individuals and organisations seeking a peaceful alternative to the policy of rebuilding German militarism. The con-

His defense counsel, D. N. Pritt QC, world-renowned Brit- ish lawyer, had declared that the police evidence in the trial “stinks.”

Pritt criticised the prosecution fer withholding tape recordings of the speeches alleged to have been made by Nasrudeen and for relying instead on the six-month- old recollections of witnesses.

“There is good evidence in the cupboard. Unreliable evidence in the witness-box. It stinks. It

GENERAL NAVARRE |

Viet Nam

“rence will be held in London’s Beaver Hall, April 3-4.

aking this announcement, the *x€cutive said: Bk ince the Berlin Conference, aS af Proof has been given that a Booty of British people oppose ‘rman rearmament, 4, Tganizations and individuals mia ad been hoping that the Ger- an question would be solved mete fully by the statesmen now ; alse ‘that they are faced with the ment danger of a rearmed Ger- wy and must take action at once. PPosition to German rearma- ie is growing in all political Sa maak general, nd among the public in

‘Tt the question were put to a

free vote in Britain, German re- armament would be heavily defeat- ed. That is why efforts are being made to end the discussions by pro- ceeding immediately with West

German rearmament.

“Tf those in Britain who are against the rearmament of West Germany would act together ina great campaign, Germany will not be rearmed. We call on all who want peace to support the initia- tive taken by MPs, Labor, trade

union and other organisations.

“This is not an issue which should be left to one particular

community.”

ana and removed the elected Peo- ple’s Progressive government from office. :

A one-man commission of in- quiry will go as soon as possible to

British Honduras, Britain’s only colony in Central America border- ing on Mexico and Guatemala.

His job will be to search for “evi- dence” of links between the Peo- ple’s United party and Guatemalan “Communists.”

The decision to set up this com- mission was disclosed in a written reply in the British House of Com- mons last week. : ' The reply brought the first of-

ficial confirmation of rumors that

is not the way to conduct a case. It’s not honest.”

the constitution of the colony was to be withdrawn and the elections to a new legislature cancelled.

Earlier Patrick Renison, gover- nor of British Honduras, had com- municated with the British Colonial Office asking for appointment of a Royal Commission.

Tory MPs admit that John Fostef Dulles has told the government he

People’s United party in the elec-

had a decisive influence on the cabinet. eo

Did he know too much about Scelba

?

‘Mystery of poisoned

rT : LONDON us 1S a story that belongs in cid, Department of Strange Coin- €nees, It takes place in Sicily.

or many years now the peas- oe Of Sicily have lived under a ie Of terror. The great land- terror” the Mafia to beat up, Communist” kill See and adhe who demand lower rent isher prices for their produce °und with bullets through neads, c “Plcal w, t Pp as the massacre a ae delle Ginestra on May 1, ing 4 Socialist supporters attend- F May Day rally were set upon * Were he of the Mafia.’ e < Chieg ee 33 wounded. Hi. 4 Young thug named Giuliano. iceme

yo Wet Made

2 and peasants. : Whenever the local ‘police determined efforts to catch

, Ministry of the interior

tynaged Somehow or other to make "8S difficult for them.

lt Minister at the time was

a Seelbane” lawyer named. Mario

By P51 the public outery in Italy _ Giuliano has become em-

Ssing for the government.|

4

the «Pabets in Britain, France and *. Were sending correspond- © Probe into the story. Why

° one catch this killer? tached & Posse of police finally Mer, th his lair, early that sum- haq’},..¥ found Giuliano dead. He arcu, Killed by his lieutenant, © Pisciotta, They seized Pis.

Seven | ; the main Mafia gang];

€ang murdered dozens of pol-

ciotta and other members of the Boe August 29, 1951, Pisciotta appeared in court in Palermo to face charges of mass murder. He told the judge that the In- terior Minister Mario Scelba had offered him 50 million’ lira to keep his mouth shut about Guili- ano and his affairs. :

That declaration is in the ver- batim record. of the court.

Pisciotta was thrown into. Paler- mo jail, sharing a cell with his father—also a member of the gang.

No one bothered to investigate his grave charge against Scelba,

bandit stirs Italy

though the Communist press was insisting at the time that Scelba, like many right wing politicians, had close links with the Mafia, ~

On February 8 this year Mario Scelba was designated by the Ital- ian President Einaudi to form a government.

He started immediate consulta- tions with the Social Democrats, who agreed at once to serve under him.

The following morning, in the cell in Palermo jail, Gaspare Pis- ciotta was served as usual with a cup of coffee and a vitamin pill.

He took the pill with the drink.

In Sicily and Cardinia (above) “the great landlords use the Fafia to beat up, terrorize and kill Socialists and Communists.”

’

According to his father, he collaps- ed in what appeared to be a coma within three minutes. :

By the time they got him to the prison hospital Pisciotta was dead.

That is the strange coincidence. Italian newspapers are remarking that if indeed Pisciotta knew what he claimed he knew about Scelba, it was very remarkable that he should drop dead the day after Scelba was called ‘upon to become premier. .

An autopsy has been performed and the police refuse to reveal the findings. But everyone speaks of strychnine, and the doctors indi- cate unofficially to’ newspapermen that the cause of death might be considered not to be a natural one. \ And last week it was revealed | that seven other former hench-

men of Salvaltore Giuliano have | been poisoned in jail at Palermo , and are in grave condition.

Scelbi thinks of himself as some- ‘thing of a “strong man.” He is ‘notorious as the founder of the hated celeri—motorized squads of ‘former faseists who have killed and maimed hundreds of workers in the past six years. 3

The favorite trick is to drive their American jeeps full tilt into demonstrations. They use revolv- ers and automatic rifles too.

The working people of Italy have never had any time for Scelba. Now the strange story of the gang- ster and the vitamin pill has caus- ed knowing looks and cynical laughter from one end of the country to the other. ;

would not allow a victory by, the

tions. They said that his demands

protests U.S. intervention

PEKING

Strong protest against U.S. in- tervention in the war in Indochina was made last week by Hoang Minh-giam, foreign minister of the Viet Nam Democratic Republic.

He also protested against the sending of American airmen to in- tensify the war there.

The statement, broadcast by Viet Nam radio, said that the Demo- cratic Republic reaffirmed the of- fer of a negotiated truce with France made last November and again in December by President Ho Chi-minh.

Hoang Minh-giam said that the people of the three Indochinese states of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia fully supported the decision of the recent Berlin Conference to hold a conference on Far Eastern affairs at Geneva in April. :

The Viet Nam radio also report- ed more victories for the People’s forces in Viet Nam and said that . mass desertions by the puppet troops have now become wide- spread.

In two raids on French air fields at Nanoi and Catbi, where USS. technicians are stationed, Viet Nam radio reported that 78 planes were destroyed, including many of the U.S. bombers recently flown to Indochina from bases in Japan and the Philippines.

The radio claimed that 38 B26 bombers, 10 fighter bombers, nine reconnaissance and three cargo bombers were destroyed at Catbi and 18 Dakota cargo planes de- stroyéd at Hanoi.

The two air fields were the main bases of support for some 20,000 French and puppet troops sur- rounded by troops of the Vietnam- ese People’s Army at Dien Bien Phu, last French stronghold in Viet Nam 175 miles from Hanoi, where this week units of the People’s Army broke throtgh French de- fenses. :

The Viet Nam radio described the raids of the air fields as “the greatest victory ever scored by the People’s forces on the Viet Nam battlefront.” ;

Spurning any idea of a truce, General Navarre, the French C.-in- C. in Indochina, has called on his troops -to prepare to take the of-

fensive again.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MARCH 19, 1954 — PAGE 3