ANGER IN U.S.A.

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 104, 30 October 1939, Page 7

ANGER IN U.S.A.

CITY OF FLINT CASE

FORMAL PROTEST MADE

SOVIET ATTITUDE

AMBASSADOR'S DIFFICULTIES

(By Telegraph—Press Association— Copjrisht.)

WASHINGTON, October 28,

r The Administration is deeply ire- | sentful and irritated over the City of Flint episode. *The situation is so I tense that the, State Department issued a statement formally charging the Soviet with withholding adequate co-operation, implying that ' neither Russia nor Germany had been frank, if, indeed, they had been 1 honest. 1 Officials are very angry over the [ failure of the American Ambassador in Moscow, Mr. Steinhardt, to ascertain the facts, and they consider ; that the Soviet treated him with contempt. The confusion regarding the whereabouts of the City of Flint further strains the atmosphere. The Soviet announced that the City of Flint was ordered to leave Murmansk, but Berlin informed the Charge d'Affaires that the vessel had not sailed, which fact the officials do not believe. The United States formally protests against Russia withholding information about the City of Flint, and against the difficulties put in the way of communicating with the American crew. AMBASSADOR BITTER. Mr. Steinhardt notified the Secretary of State, Mr. Hull, that the Soviet authorities ordered the vessel to leave Murmansk under the German crew, contending that the Soviet had fulfilled its obligations as a neutral by forcing her to depart under the same conditions as she entered. A long, bitter cable from Mr. Steinhardt recited his difficulties in obtaining information. Frequently he was refused even appointments with the Soviet .officials, and was unable to communicate with the American crew by telephone or telegraph. ■ That permission was withheld for an assistant to fly: to Murmansk is report ed to have increased the intense resentment .of the State Department, which ..pointedly referred- to the incijdent whereby the Soviet-allowed the Tass agency to announce the news about the City of Flint before the United States was notified as a breach of etiquette: ' ■ The Washington correspondent of the "New York Times" considers that the State Department's/ statement is intended as a. basis for resistance to any claim, for permanent possession Germany might advance in the prize court. The statement also., reflects the intense ' irritation at the White House over the Russian attitude and^, the failure to accord Mr. StemKardt facilities for ascertaining the facts. NO JUSTIFIABLE GROUNDS. The, statement factually recites the circumstances surrounding the City of Flint since her seizure, stressing that when she entered Murmansk the plea that she did not have the charts necessary to navigate to a. German port must be ignored or considered unsatisfactory, since the ■. German crew was interned. Secondly, the entirely different reason—defective machinery— was not advanced till later in justification idr the release of the Germans and the permitting of the City of Flint to depart with the German and American crews aboard instead of returning the vessel to the American crew. The statement continues that the ) known facts support the contention of the United States that the Germans did not, when entering, offer reason- , able and justifiable grounds for taking the City of Flint to Murmansk. There- ] fore it was. the clear duty of the ( Soviet to return the City of Flint to J the American crew. Despite Mr. Steinhardt's difficulties the German authorities were not with- ( out information. i VICTORY FOR U.S.A. j The Moscow correspondent of the ] "New York Times," Mr. Gedye, says j that the defeat of the German scheme to delay the City of Flint indefinitely 1 at Murmansk must be considered to be a United States diplomatic victory.The ' Germans are disappointed and do not j disguise that they demanded that Russia apply Article 23 of the Hague Convention of 1907, providing for. a neutral to allow a belligerent to bring a seized neutral ship into harbour for sequestration pending the prize court's decision. The flaw was that the United States excepted Article 23. It is reported from Berlin that it was announced that all was well aboard the City of Flint, which was creeping through the North Sea to an unnamed German port with the prize crew from the Deutschland running the ship. Though it was revealed that the American crew was aboard, officials emphasised that :the British Navy was undoubtedly interested in the whereabouts of the City of Flint, and'would sink her to prevent contraband falling into Germany's hands. It was confi- ( dently predicted that she would reach port next week.