SPIRIT BROKEN BY HIS COUNTRY'S BETRAYAL

Chronicle (Levin), 11 March 1948, Page 5

SPIRIT BROKEN BY HIS COUNTRY'S BETRAYAL

(N.Z.P.A.

— Reuter

Ccwyrtaht)

Received Wednesday, 10.45 p.m. jLONDON, March 10. The Foreign Minister (Mr. Ja» Masaryk) committed suicide ths morning by jumpipg out of the window at his home, says the British United Press' correspondent at Prague. Dr. Anton Chnela, head p,f the Forejgn Ministry's press section, admitted that Mr. Masaryk killed himself, but had th«en hurriedly broke off the eonversation. Other officials refused to confirm or deny the report. •Mr. .Masaryk lived in a small seeond fioor apnrtmeut in the Foreign Oi'iice at (Vernin Palace. His body was i'ound in' the palaee courtyard earlv this morning. Tlie Assoeiated Press' Prague correspondent says Masaryk 's. suicide is offieially coniirmed. The Assoeiated Press and P>ritisli United Press correspondents at Prague state that offieial sources i'or several hours refused to contirm ur deny Masaryk's death, but neighbours saw his body , earried t'rom Uzernin Palace courtyard. His f'riends said he had been desperately depressed since the (Jovernment erisis. Ile looked harassed and liaggard at his last public appearan.ee on March 0 when lie attended a cerenionv connnemorating his t'ather's birthday. l)r. Adolt Proehapka. l'ormer ( "zechoslovakian .Minister oi' Health, who tled a ft pi- the Communist coup, has reached the • Anieriean zonc in (Jerniany with his wit'e and 13-year-old daughter. The Anstrian trade unions executive eommittee lias threatened to expel all trade unionists who oi-ganise.or" join "aetion eommittee, s'' sneli as ( 'onununists i'or the last week have been advocating in J'aetories. The Minister oi' the Interior, who deelared th.at aetion eoniniittees were illegal. said diseontent was rising aniong workers bceause meal had not been supplied for Inany weeks. He added that the 1'arniers' and niiddlemen 's irresponsibility was driving Ihe ])o])ulation to les])air. The Swedish Denioerat ie Party is starting a big propaganda eanjpaign against ( 'oinniunisni, reports The Tinies' correspondent in Slockholni. The Priam .Minister (Mr. Tage Frlandcr) said the eainpaign had not been coordinated with Denniark and Norway bnl that eoo])eration belween the Soeial Denioerat ie pnrties of the tliree Seandinavian eonntries w'as so elose that it virtually amounted to the same tliing. The correspondent adds that ant i-( 'onininnist I'eeling is growing in Sweden and all parties are denianding that ihe Pommunists be exposed as (il'lh eolinpnisls and ])oten1ial (piislings. Maijy | warning voiees also cntphasise the deiieieneies oJ' Sweden 's del'ences 1 in ease oi' eonps or wai*.