TELEPHONE LINE CUT

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 357, 11 February 1937, Page 5

TELEPHONE LINE CUT

TROTSKY’S SPEECH TO NEW YORK. Six Thousand People Wait For Words. Press Association —Copy’riglit. Nev? York, Feb. 10. A scheduled speech by M. Leon Trotsky by telephone to an audience of 6500 at New York was prevented to-day by the cutting of the wire somewhere between New York and South Monterey, Mexico. M. Trotsky denounced the action ■*«; sabotage on the part of Stalinite Communists in Mexico. The audience remained in the auditorium, which was equipped w<ith loud-speakers, hoping the wire would be repaired. Copies of the speech had been distributed in advance to the meeting. In it Mr. Trotsky asserted that he was ready to surrender to the Soviet if an impartial court found hifcn guilty of the charges of terrorism, conspiracy and treason upon which he was tried recently at in his absence.

Great excitmenb was caused at Mexico City, says a message from there, when his followers were unable to locate M. Trotsky at his home at Viera. Fears were expressed that he had been kidnapped by Stalinites. An hour later, however, M. Trotsky returned and explained that when he found the telephone “dead” he rushed from the housei and Jnotored to various telephone booths attempting vainly to be connected with New York. Employees of the Mexican Telephone Company, who are aligned with the National Labour Federation, which opposed M, Tro'tsky’s entry to Mexico, gave the excuse that a fuse was blown out.

While he was missing a cordon of policemen surrounded his home. The servants denied any knowledge of his whereabouts.

Ironically, it is learned that another telephone company had a line prepared for M Trotsky to speak to New York but was unable to find him.