all groups may be denied that same right. He also stated that regardless of personal views or prejudice this grant of assembly should be reconsidered. As for the excuse of not having the facilities to accommodate the crowds, that was discounted as not a reasonable answer for denial.

Another letter appearing in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 14, 1952, under subheading “Readers, in Letters to Editor”, stated: “Editor Plain Dealer—Sir: You will no doubt be amazed to know that the Watchtower Society tried very hard to obtain the facilities of Cleveland Stadium for an eight-day convention for 1953 at the regular rental rates, but were turned down by Mayor Burke and Commissioner Paul J. Hurd. . . . The mayor of Cleveland well knows that in 1946 the Watchtower Society handled between 70,000 and 80,000 people in an orderly and well-behaved manner, and that it was estimated that between three and four millions of dollars benefited Cleveland merchants as a result of the convention. Similarly a like amount would have been spent had our mayor not refused next year’s convention. We believe Cleveland businessmen have been deprived of this business without warrant as the flimsy excuse that Cleveland is too small to accommodate a real convention, especially in view of the fact that in 1946, during a world war, Cleveland was amply large enough to take care of 70,000 to 80,000 visitors. Are we retrograding or progressing as a city? In 1946 the Watchtower Society paid the city of Cleveland well over $50,000 in rentals, asking no discounts. Is Mayor Burke setting a precedent and does this refusal mean that should other large religious organizations such as the Roman Catholic church desire to have another Eucharistic Congress such as they had here in 1935, would they too, be refused Cleveland’s public facilities? . . . Cleveland’s loss will be New York City’s gain, as the Watchtower Society has engaged Yankee Stadium for the 1953 international convention.”

Clevelanders do well to soberly ponder the prejudicial actions of its mayor before it is too late.

Priest-led Mob in Cyprus Foiled

IT SEEMS passing strange that a religious organization claiming to be Christian, the Greek Orthodox Church, should carry on religious persecution of Christians. And almost as strange is the fact that such should take place in a British colony, when Britain engaged in two world wars and is now supporting the United Nations, all ostensibly in the interests of the basic human freedoms. All of which is by way of introduction to the report received by The Watchtower from the island of Cyprus:

“Our Christian assembly at the cinema at Famagusta, Cyprus, scheduled May 23 to 25, 1952, started off well. On Friday evening we had an attendance of 200 and on Saturday 250. The brothers were thrilled with the release of two Bible tracts in the Greek language and a new ministry school schedule for the congregations, arranging for the study of the Christian Greek Scriptures. The advertising of the public lecture in town was excellent, and the people, for the most part, treated the witnesses well.