POLITICAL SENSATION.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 October 1924, Page 2

POLITICAL SENSATION.

A-MAZING DOCVAI ENTS. marUALIAN AND N.Z. CAIILB ASSOCIATION LONDON, October 25. The Documents issued by the Foreign Office are the sensation of the day. "I hev are described as the most amazing ever published during a Britidi parliamentary election. It is realised the publication, however, there have been several developments, which require clearing up. ’I lie document Irom Russia heals three names at the foot--Ziiuivieir (Pi csiden.t of Presidium.! .McManus (member of the Presidium) and Kunsimeii (Secretin> j.

j’l;ess ( U.M.MI..N r. LONDON. O' tober 2.L The “Daily Herald” says Arthur .McManus. now in England, at led until recently as the British representative on the I’rcsidiiim of the executive committee of the Communist International Central Committee of the Communist Party of Britain. He says the document is a forgery. No such document was received. Comrade Ah Alanus just back from .Moscow, says be signed no such document. The very beading. Third Communist International, gives it away. The “Daily Chronicle", editorially, says it is not difficult to guess why tbe Government .suddenly issued the letter la the press. The reason was it bad leaked out. and was to have appeared in the British press next morning. Faced by an -exposure, the Cabinet- apparently decided to make tbe exposure themselves, with such self exculpation as they might get from publishing an indignant note to Alosc:>\v. in reply thereto. Tile “.Morning Post” says it has been known and hinted publicly, that a revelation of a startling nature was about to be published bv tile newspapers. concerning the conspiracy <>f tbe Bolsheviks here. The Government has now slopped in with the obvious intention of minimising its own folly and culpability, and published and condemned Zinovieff,s letter. This document is a summons for an armed in surrectioii in this country, for the

purpose of overthrowing its instit lions.

The “Daily Telegraph” says whatever may have been the reasons prompting Mr MacDonald to authorise the publication they must have been of overwhelming strength, for the effect is to shatter to pieces his own Hussion policy. The whole document is one of the most ruinous revelations that ever blasted the prestige of a ministry. LONDON, October 2-L Conservative and Liberal organs are making capital at the apparent delay of the Foreign Office in answering Zinovieff’s letter. It is authoritatively pointed out there was not the slightest delay between the receipt of the letter -and despatch of the Bi.’.tisji reply, having regard to the time necossarv for consideration of the letter

and steps to be taken to deal with the : situation. It is considered undesirable to state the exact date the British Government received the letter. The re- ( plv was previously submitted to Air AlacDonald. who fully approved, and there was no question of publication fill another source forced the bauds of Government. LONDON. October 20. Lord Curzon at Leicester, said copies of the Zinovieff letter were handed to Mr MacDonald and Air Henderson when they reached England a month ago. The letter came into the hands of the newspapers, otherwise we should never have heard the Government's reply to the most wicked, pernicious, damnable, detestable documents over printed. Tbe amazing tiling was that it had been reserved for Air AlacDonald to make tbe exposure himself. Air ALu-Donahl in a speech at Swansea. did not refer to the Zinovieff correspondence. Interviewed later lie said the time was not ripe for a statement thereanent. Tie probably would deal therewith in his speeches. Air Clynes at Northampton, said the document, if authentic imperils the arrangements with Russia, hut there was nothing new in the organism:'"of political bombshells on tbe eve of on election.

Air Thomas in a speech at Helper, referred sarcastically to the remarkable disclosures of the newspapers, as showing the efforts being made to deceive the people. He knew not whether the letter was genuine or not. .Mr Ponsonby interviewed at Sheffield, said it was not unlikely that the Zinovieff letter was a forgery. He learned that although the note front Bukovsky was published in Air AlaeDonald’s absence the Foreign Office was aware of Air .MacDonald's determination not. to allow subversive propaganda and accepting authenticity, published Ziuovielf’s letter.

Bukovsky’s letter, mentioned earlier, was addressed to MacDonald and refers to a mutual Anglo-Soviet agreement providing for the strengthening of tricndly relations and settlement of any incidents by direct conversations and resorting to notes only, if the conversations failed and describing Ziiiovielf’s letter as “a tissue of absurdities.” He pointed out the Communist International was never described as the Third Communist International, because there had been no first or second. While Zinovieff is made to sign himself President of the Presidium of the executive committee, whereas be always signs as President of the executive committee, llakovsky protests against this using of false documents against the Soviet Union and also against the violation of the agreement above mentioned, and concludes that he is convinced the British Govrnnieiit will take steps to investigate the authorship, of the document. A Communist meeting in Trafalgar Square passed a resolution demanding t Hat. Government denounce the ZiiiovielF letter as a forgery, a withdrawal of the provocative note to Alosemv. with apologies, and the dismissal of the official responsible for the note. AVlien the singing of “Tho Bed Flag” was started, the crowd sang the National Anthem.

DECLARED A FGHCEBA'. LONDON. October 20,

The Soviet Note declares the letter is a forgery and demands Britain’s apologies. It proposes arbitration regarding the discovery of the forgers and urges their prosecution. A v'OAiAH'NTST H All ANGLE. LONDON, October 25. Berlin’s Communist organ publishes a manifesto by the executive ol the Moscow International, signed by Zinovieff. i n commemoration of the Anniversary of the Communist revolt at Hamburg, and calling on German workers to enter into close relations with Communist troops, for the organisation of a revolution. He concludes by calling for cheers for German Communists, as the advance guard of the German proletariat and world revolution. NO DEYELOPAIENTS. this day at S a.m.) LONDON. October 2(1. There were no developments in the Zinovieff affair to-day. Afr MacDonald from, his constituency maintained comnniiiciation with (he Foreign Office on the subject and is expected to deal fully with the matter at Card ill tomorrow. Other members of the Cabinet refused to'discuss the subject.

/.INOVIKFF’S J.KTTEB. LONDON. Oct. 2(1. Zinoviefi"s letter has been published. It SJl ys : —The majority of the British Boiirgeui.se arc* evidently against the Angio-Bussia.n Treaty. The proletariat "of Britain which pronounced its weighty word when the breakdown ol past negotiations threatened and compelled the .MacDonald Government to complete the Treaty must show the greatest possible energy in the iHither struggle for ratification and against the endeavours of tho British capitalists to annul it. It is indispensable to stir up the masses of the British proletariat and bring into the movement the army of unemployed proletariat. whose position can he improved only alter a loan has been granted the Soviet Union, for the restoration of her economics, and when business collaboration between the British and |{u-sian |.| oh’tariats has been put ill onhw. It is imperative that a group ~| tie' Labour Party sympathising with the Treaty should bring increased pressure to hear on the Government and Parliamentary circles ill favour ol

the ratification of the Treaty. Zinovieff then declares that the settlement of Aiiglo-Hussian relations will assist ill revolutionising the international and the British proletni iat, no tiers than a successful rising ill any working districts in England. Ihe establishment of close contact between the British and Russian proletariats, the exchange of delegations and winkers. etc., will make it possible for us to extend and develop propaganda, and the ideas of Leninism in England and her colonies. Armed warfare must be preceded by a struggle against the inclination of compromise which is embedded among the majority of British workmen against ideas ol revolution, and tbe peaceful extermination ol capitalism. Only then will it be possible to count upon the complete success of an armed insurrection in Ireanil. The colonies’ case is dillerent. There is tbe national question and this represents too great a iactor in success for us to waste time on a prolonged preparation of the working class. The letter which is dated loth. Kept, adds:—From your last report evidently agitation and propaganda work in the Army is weak and in the Navy very little better and suggests that the nucleus be established in all large centres, iilsu at munition factories and military stores depots. The latter should be especiallv given attention to, as in the event of the danger of war. with the aid of the latter and contact with the transport workers, it will be possible to penalise all the bourgeois military preparations, and turn an Imoerialist into a class war.

The letter suggests the formation of a group of military specialists to be the future directors of the British Red A nil v. ici-:M am ka i:i.f. coai.ai r xu,u• i:. LONDON, October 2(1. A remarkable communique was issued bv the Labour Party headquarters categorically describing as untrue firstly, that the letter attributed t:> Zinovieff bad been discussed by Cabinet ; secondly, that it was intercepted in the post, photographed and then delivered In the Communists in the ordinary way ; thirdly, that Labour candidates were instructed not to talk of the Russian Treatv.

A communique states the obviously contradicted statements by the Foreign Office and Radovskv cannot finally lie settled until after the election and Air .MacDonald’s return. It adds that the whole circumstances surrounding the Zinovieff letter are regarded with the gravest suspicion in Labour quarters and comments on the fact that copies of the letter were in the possession of London daily papers and Conservatives headquarters before they were issued by the Foreign Office to the press. The communique says while the question of authenticity of the document remains open, there can be no doubt whatsoever about the vigorous note to Itakovsk.v, which entirely disapproves of the allegations that “The Government is under the heel of the Communists.” It concludes that tlie Note gives a guarantee that the Anglo-Russian agreements will be enforced bv the Government.”

A Foreign Office communique invites the Conservatives leaders and papers to be frank with the public and -tote bow they came to be in possession of tbe alleged document. The Soviet’s declaration that the loter is a forgerv is officially confirmed.