RUSSIAN TRAITORS SHOT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 126, 14 June 1937, Page 8

RUSSIAN TRAITORS SHOT

-Press Assn.

Germany Mentioned As - Spy Employer HATRED OF SOVIET

(By Telegrsph-

— Copyrielit.)

LONDON, June 12. The grim trial of eight military chiefs fWho were charged wits espionage and ■rrecldiig was held in complete secrecy. jThere was neither a State prosecutor fcior any defence. The Court consisted R>f Judge Ulrich and eight army leaders, fwho sentenced to death their eight lequally or more famous comrades in iarms. Strangely enough nothing has been ftteard about the rewards these famous fEed Army chiefs allegedly Teceived for fthus attempting to destroy the great janned force which they were for so jkmg credited with creating.. No motive other than overpowering hate of the ISoviet system is indicated either in the lofilcial communique or leading articles kn the official Press. The Daily Telegraph'a Moscow correspondent says that these generals all ' had' in Eussia great power and wealth, magnificent palaces and summer resorts and. splendid cars, which they acquired for services to the revolution. Class hostility cannot explain the strange mad hate now attributed to them. • Tukhachevsky -served during the war in the Imperial Guard, but Uborevich and Yakir are respectively the son of a poor peasant and a poor Jewish craftsman. ;It cannot be too strohgly emphasised jthat these eight officers until recently Iheld nearly aU the key commands in iEuropean Eussia. The Daily Mail/s Moscow corresponjdent declares that Stalin in fear of his jlif i e brought to Moscow the most f aithfnl xegiments of Cossacks and Mongols to protect him. Tukhacevsky was allegedly betrayed by one of his numerous girl friendsj who was a sccret agent •f a foreign Power and was caught by the Ogpn. Although the proceedings were secret, it is believed that tho wives of Tukhacevsky and Putna were brought to the court room to testify iagainst their husbands, ' ,*• The Times ' Eiga correspondent says that is is an important consideration that most of the prisoners had a reputaition -as bitter ihaters of Germany and t eeveral fonght Germany for some yesrs. f The Times ' Vienna correspondent .aays Professor Eppinger was summonei to Moscvow to treat Stalin for heart trouble last week. • A further Moscow message says that' !the Pravda lifts the veil by disclosing Ithat Germany is the Power for" which ithe accused operated. It states: "The iwiles of the Fascist intelligence serIvices will not avail in any attempt to Iattack the Eed Army. It would be the fbeginning of the end of the rule of •Goebbels and his like." An official communique states: " After jthe indictment had been read all eight jaccused anskered Judge Ulrich 's quesjtion are you guilty by declaTing yes, Ifiilly guilty." It adds: "All accused have been degraded from military rank and sentenced to the highest measure of social defence — shooting." Under the Soviet law the senteaco must be carried out within 21 hours. A communique anounced the execuof the generals. No details are given, but it is believed they were shot by an •executioner and not by a firing squad. The bodies were cremated.