("Quid coniuratio est?")
TERROR IN BALKANS TOLD BY BARBUSSE
VIENNA, Dec. 10 -- A black picture of repression in the Balkans and Hungary is painted by Henri Barbusse, author of "Under Fire," in a series of speeches delivered here on his way to Paris after investigation of conditions in Southeastern Europe.
He declared that he found that the White Terror {1} exists in Bulgaria, Rumania, Yugoslavia and Hungary, and that the situation is much more tragic than the West imagines. He urges international publicity as the only force capable of making the Balkan Governments use more humane methods of treating political and ethnical minorities.
Bulgaria he describes as the most backward and Rumania as a close second.
As to the number of Bulgarians who have "disappeared" since the present Government overthrew Stambulski less than three years ago his investigations lead him to make the total at least 15,000.
"Disappeared" he translates as meaning frequent assassination and the secret burning or burial of the bodies.
Despite its promises, Barbusse says, the Rumanian Government did not give him any evidence supporting the official contention that the Bossarabian peasant uprising was fomented by the Soviets. He said he found nothing to prove this.
In general, he describes the Balkans as countries ruled by governments without strong popular roots anywhere, none of which permits any real opposition, and resort freely to "torture or other savage methods unknown elsewhere in Europe since the Middle Ages."
He declined to be more specific in his statements until he had digested the mass of material collected, which he intends using in his next book. He denied the report that he personally was attacked or maltreated by a Bucharest mob, citing the rumor as an example of how news is twisted in the Balkans.
One improvement Barbusse notes in the Balkan conceptions of political power is the fact that he, despite his reputation as a Red, was allowed to enter these countries and was officially promised help in investigating, although the promises proved to be illusionary. He describes the officially helpful attitude to the Balkan Governments' fear of Western public opinion.
Although Vienna throngs with open and secret representatives of the "ins and outs" of all Balkan countries whose continual plotting and fighting is often brought to the surface by the assassination of some Balkan leader here, no incident has resulted from Barbusse's denunciations.
The Viennese warmly applaud his description of conditions.
The Rumanian Government has issued a statement saying that Barbusse's charges are not surprising, as he is "known to be a Bolshevist agent."
---------------------------<< Notes >>--------------------------- {1} I'm not certain, but the "White Terror" alluded to may signify a connection to the "White Russian" anti-Bolshevik faction in Russia.
I encourage distribution of "Conspiracy Nation."
See also: http://www.europa.com/~johnlf/cn.html
See also: ftp ftp.shout.net pub/users/bigred