Confessing his own treason against the Soviet Government, M. V. 1. Ivanov, former Commissar of Forestry, took the witness box yesterday.
M. Ivanov alleged that the 21 defendants on trial for their lives had plotted with Great Britain to overthrow the Soviet Government. As he addressed the court in the words of his. confession a small group of invited spectators listened keenly.
"I confessed," he said, "because I wanted to expose the monstrosity of the crimes of treason against the Soviet Power."
M. Ivanov said that Great Britain had offered to exchange assistance for the accused for certain concessions including security for the interests of British industrialists in the northern areas.
He quoted M. Nikolai Bukharin as saying that it was necessary to give "advances" to Britain in order to retain support. He said that M. Bukharin's remark led to the selling of millions worth of timber at low prices to Britain,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.