Ext 6116/46(S) 'Secret Weekly Political Intelligence Summaries, nos 356-416, August 1946-November 1947' [‎16r] (31/978)

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British member to study the question
objectively and to point out that the
Magistrat was not in the wrong, that the
British Commandant had not authorised
the meeting, that the surveyors were not
Fascist and not even an organisation, were
jp°t by Marshal Sokolovsky with such
Menacing remarks that General Robertson
said that he could only interpret them as
an attempt to pick a quarrel. General
Robertson’s assumption seems all too
correct—the Soviet representatives are
clearly hoarding up such incidents as a
basis for some future general charge that
one or more of the Western Occupying
Powers had sabotaged four-power rule in
Berlin. The Russian delegate to the
Co-ordinating Committee had already
described the British Commandant’s
action (sic) as “an unprecedented case of
flagrant violation of Control Council
legislation ’ ’ and he said that such methods,
by undermining the work of the Komman-
datura, “ might bring about the actual
partition of Berlin.”
By contrast with the farcical nature of
many aspects of the French zone purge
Mr. Bevin defended the denazification pro
ceedings in the British Zone when he spoke
in the House of Commons on the 27th
October saying “ our people have done
their work fairly and very well.” 337,000
persons have been dismissed from industry
alone. There will be no more dismissals
after December 31st 1947. Under the new
order which came into force on the 1st
October, power is transferred to the Ger
man Laender to punish ‘ ‘ lesser offenders ’ ’
and £ ‘ hangers on, 5 ’ and they may alter
zonal instructions on the purge. Military
Government will still deal with “war
criminals” and “major offenders” as
well as categorising former members of the
German Armed Forces and administering
Civil Internment Camps. In the U.S. zone
the purge still seems a long way from com
pletion, but amendments to the purge law
have now been approved, which are in
tended to obviate the necessity for pro
longed proceedings against persons who
will finally be classed as only “hangers
on " and who can now be disposed of by
“ summary process.” An analysis of
400,000 proceedings in the zone showed
that 80 per cent, of the accused have been
classified as “lesser offenders” or
“ hangers-on.”
The report on Ruhr Coal Production
published in Washington in September has
been approved by the United Kingdom and
U.S. Governments. The Coal Management
plan will come into force when an exchange
of views now taking place between France
and the Benelux States has been concluded.
Despite publication of the reparations
list, daily coal output continues to rise
fairly steadily and reached 250,000 tons on
the 23rd October.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
The strains and stresses of the prevail
ing internal political situation, influenced
in turn by recent events in neighbouring
countries and doubts concerning the
general international position, have
accelerated the long-awaited fusion of the
hitherto localised Czech and Slovak Social
Democrat parties. Speaking at a Slovak
Democrat Congress, M. Frlicka, the party
Chairman (he visited England early this
year as a member of the Czechoslovak
Parliamentary delegation), emphasised the
need to ‘ ‘ support everything that unites
Czechs and Slovaks and avoid stressing
whatever divides us.” Fully aware of the
gravity of the situation and no doubt
bearing in mind the significance of Dr.
Benes’ repeated warnings on the subject of
Czech-Slovak relations, the Congress then
approved the amalgamation. Thus, with
the exception of the Communist Party
which, unlike the Slovak Democrats, is not
restricted by regionalist considerations, the
Social Democrat Party is, as a result of
its realistic approach to current problems,
the first national party to arise in the Re
public since the Liberation. At the same
time it is significant to note that the Con
gress was addressed by M. Bastovanksy the
Secretary-general of the Slovak Com
munist Party who was a delegate to the
recent Silesian Conference. He urged that
the “ democratic and progressive forces of
Slovakia ’ ’ should collaborate in view of
the “ intolerable situation ” prevailing
there, and gave an assurance that the inde
pendence of the Social Democrats would
be respected. How far this assurance is
compatible with the Social Democrat atti
tude towards the Silesian Conference still
remains to be seen : (a declaration issued
by the Central Executive Committee of the
Social Democrat Party describes the
“ Warsaw ” decisions as likely to bring
about an “ intensification rather than the
elimination of international mistrust.”
The Party will, nevertheless, strive for co
operation between the Socialist parties in
the National Front.)
The fusion is a reflection of the pre
carious situation now obtaining in that,
province—perhaps more precarious than in
the Czech Lands. The Slovak Freedom
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