SUB BERIA ~.T.-1. Wednesday, Dec. 23, 1953 The most significant bit of news about the trial and executio of Beria • acmcm■ 1 t I U 11■•1111 t .teal J t 11 ia in ••••••• llf4he make up of the court which condemned the one ti.me boss of the dread secret police. Together, with six o'f his top aides in the NVD. Earlier dispatches mentioned Ivan Koniev, as chairman of the Central Conunlssion of the Soviet Supreme Court. Later word identifies him as Marshall Koniev, the well known military commander. Koniev made a brilliant reputation as a tank commander in the Second World War, and is now the commander of the Soviet land army. He was named to the Red Supreme Court for the especial purpose of presiding over the trial of Berla, and the other former big shots of the secret police. Moreover, another member of the four man court which gave the verdict of "death" was a Soviet General of the Arm~ Moskalenko. SUB BERIA - 2 This is the first time in Soviet history that military commanders have sat in judgment over fallen top ranking Red officials, and it's taken to signify - that the army overthrew Beria and his fo~ces 1n the.secret police. With Marshall Koniev presiding over the tria]tof a general of the army having a place beside him among the judges, We have been hearing all along, that the struggle for power was, basicly between the Soviet army and the secret police. So now the picture of the trial confirms it. The deadly legal proceedilgs began on December Eighteenth, five days ago. Beria and his assoclates confessing u treason. Found guilty of p plotting to seize power through the secret police'3eria ill accused of conspiring with foreign capitalist agents allfahrough his career - during the time when he was right-hand man to Stalin. Later - member of the ruling triumvirate in the Kremlin, The veruict - death. The sentence - executed immediately. Beria and his tollowers were shot today. SUB BERIA - 3 The blood-thirsty ending had been expected. The only surprise -- that the p■•lt presiding Judge was Marshall Koniev, with another Army General on the board of four judges. Which would seem to indicate that the Army~ the Red Marshalls, are riding high in Soviet Russia. FRANCE France has a new President, an unknown, a dark horse. Rene Coty, a seventY-one year old member of the right wing independent coalition. For days, the National Assembly had been unable to choose&. President. One ballot after another was taken. Premier Lan1el in th lead, followed by a Socialist leader. But neither could get anywhere, the whole thing in a rather preposterous deadlock, So the national Assembly did a familiar thing, going to a dark horse as a compromise. The veteran politician, Rene Coty, now President of France. ADD FRANCE The result was taken with 111 grace~ by the left wingers. socialists and Communists -- who refused to join in hailing the new President. IRAN - Diplom tic rel tions m were re-established / formally, today, between Iran and Great Britain. In the capital ity of Teheran, a British charge d 1 affalrs presented his credentials to the Iranian foreign minister. A full fledged ambasoador - to arrive later. The Union Jack was hoisted above the British embas~y, for the first time since diplomatic relations were severed more than a year ago. Meanwhile, former Premier Moasadegh, who seized Anglo-Iranian oil, has been tried and sentenced to prison. The formal re-establishment of diplomatic relations - following immediately after. Today's event was accompanied by rioting. Communist elements demonstr a ting against the return of British d~plomats. Also - gainst the prison sentence imposed on Mossadegh. Police arrested twelve ring leaders - the disturbance quelled without much trouble. SUB LEAD PRISONERS At Pan Mun Jorn, a sudden change 1n the plan for pro-Communist American prisoners t have a news conference. Earlier in the day, the word ~as that the renegade G I's had asked to meet the reporters, and tell them - why they preferred Comaunism. But, they changed their minds. Saying - no. So, a news conference will be held by a South Korean pro-Commun;st. when a All of which follows a grotesque outbreak - ~&=1d;&.. ). PRlSONERS - more recording was broadcast giving those G I's a final statement, and urging them to return. They howled a chorus of Communist propaganda, staged a weird dance, raising an . uproar of defiance. Their leader, , private Richard Corden of East Providence, Rhode Island, led them in a chant. shouted. "Do any Americans want to go home?" Gorden "No"! the ot.1ers roared. Well, it all makes · an ugly end - To the explanation business. It seemed absurd, when the Reds first asked the right to make explanations to anti-Communist pr13oners who •• refused to return to Communism . . The Red explainers had a ridiculous time - defied and cursed by the anti-Comaunists. But our side has fared no b e t t e r , ~ -t;{,J- The Anti-Communists who rejected repatriation were numbered in the tens of thousan~ly a tiny percentage paid any attention to the explainers. The pro-Communist - J p i Jo ner s 1 r e on 1, thou 'an . A mere t. eniy - t. · t h n A eric , u - --- in ri hi there i u n - .:.i i ..L • A e · i · e ,i e e , i ou.:) :ne ~ . l · ro - .1 • eg un u · ppear - an o n lhe Co n t inent. or the first time - or is - a _a l between banis. You don't :i. _ o ... - ..,o m uni st ba nkin 6 • But, in :iAosoow, inancial ins t itu 1, ion - t, he 1~arodni Bank. 'l hich a e en y £ illion ollar L r ansa Lion involvind 01 1 . • aro -i ni an:;. of o co., ship in i tha t . u h bulli ling a cu rr • do in i ol he H an of En g lan . · · he ,oviets 6 et.tin ~ - - to facilitate ~oviet purchases in the ster- Paying for imports - w ith British pounds. arts are tha~ Russia is short of foreign es pecially ste r lin 6 . Hence~ the seventy million ! he irst consignment. of gold, shipped hree w eeks ago - b y plane. Soviet gold - appear i ain. J ld from ~iberia. Gold from Kamchatka. be Lena River. E o h C o n m t o i 'let v e . 0 0 d y , rm n tr i '' T h n g. 0 t ' ' ho ' y m n g e ng n e r Nich o l s R o chella. R l o c v ep o t f o und in ah county . Not - - t•• h u u 1 ur iurn, but rar e met ls like thorium, ~ berryliurn. R dio active ore - that may turn out to be the riche t kind of strike . The strip mining company has taken leases on fifty- five thousand acres of North Carolina land - also land in Virginia . They set out to look for iron ore and manganese, ~ u and found - IAeN metals that give off radiation. /\ A - P R I ES Th D rtm nt o f cult r - he no v o f pro fi te n t h . er cke r m o n h o , t h e D epa r m nt t r i nve t g ti o r o to co mpl i ns t h t th ec r e a se o f price c ttl e w s n ot reflected in th e ret a il markets. o k r l ee r s w e re getting less - b t the housewife not by the d e cline. The middleman - getting it. r ting The investigation shows that, 1n isolate ases, the retail price did not decline in due proportion. t, as for the beef packers, there was no profiteering. e Department of Agriculture stating: "Prices of reta 1 beef, wholesale beef, and live cattle - generally fwllF• follow parallel trends." Meanwhile, the government reported a decre e in the c o st of living for November. For the first eight months, prices were lower. The figure - three- ten t hs of one percent. The prin~ip~l fact o r - a dr o f o od prices. which decline 0ne and f o ur tenths p e , in November. 1n WA TER Yo w terfron ion e t 0 v 1 c t · y - three l on g hor 1en . ..I. 1 1 rooklyn . Th y're in a ho ltal onight . A erie of b itl broke out in the tough Brooklyn rea - supp r esse quickly y trong fo r ces o f police . Twenty- t w o t h o u sand lon g s h o r e m en - in th e two da y e l ec ion to de ci d e betw e en the ol d IL A and the new unj on ~ , F:orL, form ed by t h e Am e ric a n Federation - having tossed out the A IL A, on gr o unds of corruption and racketeering. Long Line s of d ock workers going to collective bargaining poll s und e r government supervision. With plenty of t a lk about in timidati o n- the labor racketeers trying to retain their co n t r o l. The balloting ends t onight. Th e fin a l co unt - e x p cted ear ly tomorrow morning. PILOT A h 1 cut r l o h 1 v tur e th e J rs y k y . W ll i J . o x w ma k ing t e flight n ne w t l flf co pt e . An, tan ltitu e o f f iv thousan f ee t ~ h e f l y ing m a chin e b r oke n t o . The w r e ck a g e - p lun g i ng m ile to t he gr o un d . Th e t est pilot had a par a chute, but hew s tangled i n th e ma ss of br o ken metal, and couldn't get loose - not for half ma mile. Down he plunged - in a frantic struggle to untangle ~ . c l ~ ~ ~~ himself. But he - loose. Bis parachute open.u~ and he ~ '" r /- crone down s a f e l y . - ~ 4-~ ~ """1, H h 1 ;:; 1 f 1 l 11 th U v r 0 in d g if . M e r x n ing - Th e I ah o pr xy r ~ on ing with - - Well, those ar the two 1 Th re ho - g o f p o g c h o th r to e .1 - - l g o f potatoes. .----,,,..._,~ - ~ a , , P pot to stat'e;~thoroughly jealous of each other. Potatoes · are what they need the least - thereby producing the height of useless futility. As if you and I were to send each other exactly the same thing - &JI o methlng which neitr e r o f us needs . A' An o., . i I) . . " 1. - .. .. Ir n "'ur a in: - 1 H • e r " ... r i., \, aa!' .., .. i s e in 6 u e h i a . revi u ly - banne y the o i uni l . . , u h l o chri ian - or the :i&arxian utopia. In previ u s years, under o~muni , the Holy Day as obse ved - un er anolher name. calle i l - " t he Feast o fa her N i t9r." e publications r - "the feast o he Fi 1· e • " u t th a t ' s c an~ e · 1 . In u apest, today, ne 1 spapers are say in - "...,hri a • " he "ne · : loo " e Hun ary 5oin acz. t.o he pre-Communisl way of cele rating. banned. ~hrisLia~ no lon~er A •• e :- .. ~ . ..,. a ... a a a , J a J d r j " r_ iL ,. i r h.., ' . - J A aer i l _n i · i., 0 ~ i . a " he . 0 t. 0 ' ' - . V OU e' t.h eoe n 0 i ho a s ay a t.o t.he Ji . le A5 es - in ~u r pe. u I, .. he 50 0 ~ ain t. , a e 1tnoi hi, in his t.yp i 1 f r aver here - originated right in t his country. Ho ,, do we -"noN · ell, its vouched for by an erudite Cornell pro i - w~o ought to know. Professor Charles · ,· . Jones, 0 ives us the follo.ving account of tbe i r h of ~ anta laus. · ac1' in li 6hleen Nine, J a hington I rv in g pu - lishe his famous •Knic • er oc er Bid or y." In "h ich he tol d - of Christ~as as cele rate by he early Du ch in - habitan ts of eN YorA tale - iro~ tpe py en Dyvel t~ the T appen Sea, and on up to R)inebecA, an even to As t er a~. Be tells ho w St. Nie• z ipped don the chi~neys of old Dutch houses a Poughkeepsie - maybe even arrylo n of course.? Ac-:! ho · all the utch ch i l re n h n 0 heir stocAings y the fireplace. · a hin 6 ton I rv in 0 's jo y t a e of hris ~ as ,.. A A U . ;JA --- -- - --- "a u o e ' an , · i e - 0 r .. i e t.h · t it soon · a a en as an e 0 en T'OU ver from Holland. U\. here'-, i . o.y he ..,a Professor : "I a e a throu h : r ' a:. i 8C l{ e ore . ashin L n l C · o . - 1 -· ~ .. J, " an . a una le to ' in a sin6le enii n i ':ie uc--h h r i s as obser ances describe y th e auth or . o he conclu es that Nashin 6 ton Irving as the mid- iie -- or should ie say, the literary obstetrician who presided at the birth of the roly - poly, laughing Santa who is the central figure of Christma& as e know it. hun re percent American? anta Claus a one O n Pr ancer! un litzenJ On Co~et! on ~ike!