FACING WIDE PROBLEM

Chronicle (Levin), 9 June 1947, Page 5

FACING WIDE PROBLEM

british attitude to cout in iiunGARy Received Suhday, 8.30 Jhtfi. LONDON, June 8. Mr. Bevm aiid his pefinaiieht advisefs" at the Pofeign OfflCe, ih decidihg wiiether to support the XJxiited Sthtes' draft iiote to Mo^coiv allfeging interfCrence in Huhgarian politics, face a far wider prohlem, Says Reiiter's dipiofiiatiw correspondenti The SOviet influence bu. ceiitral and eastern Hffrdpe appears to have entefed a new phase witli the re cent developments in Hungary and the arrest of Opposition inemfeers iii ku mania and B'aigaria. Britain has to decide Whether to put up a real iiglit against the moves which lidndoh sees.us a gfoss infrihgetnent of civil and denio cratic liberties or whether to acquiescC after making fdrmal protests, The correSpondent, referring to tlie arrest of the Bulgaridti Oppositibff leader, Mr, Nikola PetkoV, says Mr. ' Petkov had abvays spoken his inind freely aird Came Out strongly against the eledtoral procedtire whieli brtmght the present Bulgarian Goverhfiieiit iilto power. His arrCSt had been threatened for some time and it is sigiiiffcant fliat it is made now at a time of the.Hungarian crisis and on chargSs simiiar to those bl'Ought against the Hiingarian MiniSters. Many obsetvers in Londdii belidve that the obvioiis tigliteriing of regimes in eastern Europe and the dtive agaihst suspected opposition, are -eafefixlly prepared eounter-moves to AmferiCan policy in Greece and Turkey. The British decision on the Uni'ted Htates iiote, which is likely to be takeh in time fbr a statement in the dommdns tomorrdw will be a pointer t5 the futdre British attitude. The New Yofk Times' Waslungton eorrespondent Says the programme fo'r c.ompletlrig a peftCe trhaty Witli Austfia tliis ye'ar inav be delaj'ed ihdefmitely as a result of a possible Soviet cdiip in Austria, acGor-ding- to offieial circles in Washiiigton. Tliis wks fcli$ ffrst react lon to rep'Orts from Vieiiria that Mr. Efnst Fischer, AiiStrihii Gofflfliiihist leader, had st&tdd tlidt the Soviet Would iiot cohcludfe h treaty with the present Austfiaii Govei'mhent, Mr. Lisclter is khowii as a Spok&sAiari fdr the ddviet and as sdeh ,a person whdse views iriay foreegst Eussian actipii. Dipibmats dinphasised thdt a co'iip Would be ver'y rhW in this instarfce because the ddininun ists polled ohly a fraction df fhe Votes in the Austrian electiong. DiplQmhts predict that if tliere is a domhiuiiist coup United States wili be prepared to remain indefihiteiy in its occupation stone.. Presumabiy Britain and Fraiioewould do the Sahte in tlifeir zoiieS; HdWhver, if tlfh RtissianS took eontrol of thd. Austrian GoVernmeht arid concluded a phaee that would be elfective in the Sovifet Zbite, the tfresiilt eoiild be tlie breaking up of the AdStrlhji Stftte.