1956 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD- SENATE 4995

EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS Repayment by the Henry J. Kaiser Com­ zatlon is to be congratulated and com­ knew well the valiant spirit this distin­ mended, particularly as other companies guished churchman had displayed in the panies of Their Government Loans equally or perhaps better able to repay their face of attacks on his church and his God. obligations to the Federal Government have In 1Q42, the archbishop, then EXTENSION OF REMARKS not chosen to do so. Beran, was arrested by the Nazi . He OF spent the next 3 years in Nazi prisons, most of that time in the infamous concentration HON. J. WILLIAM FULBR!GHT camp at Dachau. OF ARKANSAS Archbishop Josef Beran The case of Archbishop Josef Beran stands as an undeniable character witness for the 'IN THE SENATE OF THE Communist rulers of . It Friday, March 16, 1956 EXTENSION OF REMARKS leaves no doubt in the mind of any reason­ OF able man that absolutely denies Mr. FULBRIGHT. Mr. President, I the foundation stones of any free people ask unanimous ·consent to have printed HON. ROMAN L. HRUSKA the freedoms of speech, press, and rellgloua in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD a press OF NEBRASKA expression. release I made on· yesterday. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES Communist tyranny knows it cannot co­ There being no objection, the release exist with a free Christian religion. was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, Friday, March 16, 1956 When, by infiltration and treason, Com­ as follows: Mr. HRUSKA. Mr. President, I ask munists extended their iron rule over Czecho­ slovakia, the archbishop was a pillar of STATEMENT BY SENATOR J. W. FuLBRIGHT ON unanimous consent that a statement strength to his people. For him, there was THE REPAYMENT BY THE HENRY J. KAISER which I have prepared with reference no compromise with the godless dictates of COMPANIES OF THEIR GOVERNMENT LOANS to Archbishop Josef Beran, archbishop the invaders. I want to commend the Henry J. Kaiser of , be printed in the RECORD. When Communist agents arrived at the companies for paying off all their debts to the There being no objection, the state­ archbishop's residence in late 1949 to order Federal Government several years before ment was ordered to be printed in the him to end resistance to the new regime, he their due date. RECORD, as follows: went to a closet, took out a bundle of rags, When I was chairman of a Senate Banking and said, "Here is my uniform from Dachau. and Currency Subcommittee which reviewed ARCHBISHOP JOSEF BERAN Let's go." Archbishop Beran was confined the activities of the Reconstruction Finance (Statement by Senator HRusKA) to his residence until 1951 when he was Corporation, we made a study of the loans to Five years ago, on March 10, 1951, the Com­ banished from Prague. the Kaiser-Fraser Corp. Although the sub­ munist radio of Prague, Czechoslovakia., Earlier, he had warned his people, "Per­ committee in its report stated that it be­ trumpeted victory after a. 2-year battle to haps very soon you wm hear all sorts of lieved that the RFC should not have made crush 1 valiant churchman. The broadcast things about me from the radio. You may the original loan, it also stated that it did said Dr. Josef Beran, archbishop of Prague, hear that I have made a confession or other not question the Kaiser-Fraser loans from has been fined and banished from the city. things. But no matter how often you hear the standpoint of their repayment, though There were no further details on the where­ these things I hope you believe in me." . repayment might ultimately be made from abouts of the archbishop, nor have there Freedom-loving peoples everywhere believe proceeds of operations not contemplated by been any since then. in Archbishop Beran. Stripped of the formal either the borrower or the RFC when the :first Archbishop Beran was not hailed before a symbols of church leadership, the archbishop loan was made. The subcommittee also people's court, tried on trumped-up treason is an eternal symbol of the power ·of a simple, pointed out that it was impressive that the charges, and then imprisoned as was Cardinal uncompromising resistance to tyranny. The other RFC loans to Kaiser managed com­ Mlndszenty. Instead, Communist pollee used stories of the archbishop, of the hundreds panies had been repaid and that these enter­ brute force and terrorism to break up his of other clergymen imprisoned and killed prises had refinanced themselves by obtain­ opposition to the new rule, imprisoned him in Czechoslovakia, and of Cardinal Minds­ ing capital from private sources. in his residence for 18 months, and then zenty, Archbishop Joszef Groesz, and other As I understand the situation, the judg­ spirited him away to an undisclosed prison. Christian victims of this new infidel, will ment of the subcommittee in this respect The Communists resorted to ill-disguised live forever as black testaments to the ter­ has been vlndlcated and the Kaiser organ!- violence to crush the archbishop beca:use they rorist doctrine of communism.

among the architects of the final par­ appropriate committee, in view of the SENATE liament of peace and plenty, in which fact that it has been read ir.. the House. every kindred and tongue under all skies MoNDAY, MARCH 19, 1956 The VICE PRESIDENT. Without ob­ shall :find their rightful place. We ask jection, it is so ordered. The Senate met at 11 o'clock a.m. it in the Redeemer's name. Ainen. The message from the President was The Chaplain, Rev. Frederick Brown referred to the Committee on Foreign Harris, · D. D .• offered the following THE JOURNAL Relations. prayer: On request of Mr. JoHNSON of Texas,