Soviet Sahib

POLAND Soviet Sahib

Something was up in Szszecin. The former German port, which used to be known as Stettin before it was turned over to Poland at Potsdam, is actually run by the Russians; for the past month, reports have been drifting across the Iron Curtain about street riots by thousands of Poles against their Russian masters. Last week the New York Times's Edward A. Morrow, who did a two-year stint (Jan. '49-Feb. '51) in the Times's Warsaw bureau, got the facts from an eyewitness just arrived in Paris.

On April 9, a Russian major arguing with two Poles in the center of Szszecin drew a pistol, ordered one of the Poles to stand aside. When the Pole tried to protect his friend, the Russian major killed both. Running down the street, pursued by other Poles who had heard the shots, the major killed a doctor who happened to come out of a building, and a woman passerby. He hid in a cellar and from there he shot a Polish militiaman.

A crowd gathered around the site, demanded that the Polish police capture the trapped Russian. The police replied that they were under orders not to use their weapons. The crowd, growing by the minute, taunted the policemen and shouted anti-Soviet slogans. Polish army troops surrounded the area. The crowd began to hurl rubble and bricks. One policeman was shot with his own pistol, three others were reported killed. Finally another Russian officer and a squad of soldiers managed to lead the Russian major to safety while Polish militiamen held back the infuriated mob.

Next day, the people who had been killed in the riot were hurriedly buried; next of kin were not notified. A Soviet board of inquiry composed of high Soviet officers conducted an investigation. Secret police arrested more than 1,500 Poles.

Commented the Times: "The Soviet officer striding about the streets of Sofia or Prague or Warsaw or even Shanghai feels himself the master . . . He is above the normal laws . . . He is the 'Sahib' . . . of the past recreated, with none of the tradition or code which ameliorated the arrogance of many of the originals."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.