Show Czechs to 10 Oust AU Yank r a r rI I I PRAGUE March 4 Czecho lP-Czecho- Czecho Czechoslovakia I slovakia soon will order all American American American Amer Amer- ican missionaries to leave the country the U. U S. S embassy announced announced announced an an- Saturday Similar Similar actions presumably will willbe willbe I be taken against B British against French and other western missionaries it said This announcement came hard on the heels of a new threat by the Communist government of state action against what it calls an campaign by Archbishop Archbishop Archbishop Arch Arch- bishop Josef Beran and his Roman Catholic bishops An official of the American embassy said the Czech foreign ministry has stated that all American missionaries are ale going to be required to leave at a very early date He added this will apply to missionaries of ot all faiths The action apparently will ill be ordered under provisions of the Czech church laws which rule that all practicing clergymen must be Czech natives swear an oath of allegiance to the government and receive their salaries from the state The expulsion of the Uie missionaries missionaries missionaries mission mission- aries is part of a general campaign campaign cam cam- against westerners western rs in Czech Czech- oslo akia Hardest hit of Amer- Amer iJ can churchmen so far are representatives representatives representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Latter Saints Nineteen Nineteen Nineteen Nine Nine- teen have been exp expelled since last May leaving only W V Wallace a 11 a ace c e Toronto head of the church here I shall go too Toronto told newsmen Saturday Its Ils only a question now of the exact time We Ve are planning the closing of our living quarters on March 31 At its peak peal the L D S church See Pago Page 2 Z Column 3 8 Czechs 10 o Oust Continued from rom Page One had lad 39 missionaries working throughout Czechoslovakia Many of them withdrew voluntarily to comply with the new church laws and to turn the church over to Czech natives The exact number of American or western missionaries remaining in n Czechoslovakia could pot not ot be bc determined determined de de- de- de immediately A reliable source said Methodist Minister John Bartok who has lived li here for nearly 20 years already is packing jacking his bags Minister of Justice Alexei Cepicka Ce Cc- picka icka who also is minister of church affairs opened a new blast at the Catholic hierarchy Friday in n an open letter to Archbishop Beran primate of Czechoslovakia He charged Beran with working work ing ng for a long time to spread disruption disruption disruption dis dis- dis- dis and incitement Letter Forbids Talks This latest state attack on the church was prompted by a circular letter etter from the prelate forbidding Czech priests to attend discussions with government representatives and threatening them with excommunication excommunication excommunication if they accepted government government government gov gov- posts without prior approval approval ap ap- ap of the church |