HIDDEN MILLIONS

Evening Star, Issue 20472, 1 May 1930, Page 9

HIDDEN MILLIONS

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION STORY Somewhere in wildest Siberia a great treasure lies buried. It has been in its secret hiding place since the days when Admiral Koltchak’s ‘ White legion, were retreating along the 1 ransSibcriau Railway before tho armies of tiro Bolshevik revolution, reports the Paris correspondent of the Daily Chronicle ’ (London). It is known that Admiral Ivoltchak had at his disposal a considerable part ot tho gold reserve of the old Russia, For a while this was kept at Kazan, but was taken away from there when tho Reds advanced on tho place. With it, it is believed, was also a considerable amount of gold which formed part of tho “ war chest ” of the “White” forces, while many wealthy Russians had confided their priceless family jewels to the guardians of this last remnant of Imperial Russia’s exchequer. After tho capture and execution of Koltchak by the Bolsheviks, the bulk of tho "jewels was probably reclaimed by their owners. The monev, however, amounting to at least 100*000,000 roubles (£10,000,000) was, it is said, divided into four parts by Koltchak’s friends and relatives who wore with him on his disastrous expedition. The bulk was buried “somewhere in Siberia.” No more was heard about it until qutic recently, when a group of four persons came to Paris and approached certain financiers with a strange proposal. They declared that they were aware of the spot where one-quarter of Koltchak’s treasure, several millions of pounds in value, was buried, and it was their desire to sell their share of it (All treasure found in Russia is, according to Soviet law, divided equally between tho Government and the finder). One of tho greatest of Parisian financiers, among others, having refused to have anything to do with the proposal, the group approached an important Parisian bank, which thought that the matter was worth inquiring into. As a result, a preliminary agreement was rout-hided between llio two parties. The group furnished tho hank with certain information, and a commission Jins been dispatched to Moscow_ to verify this and to open up negotiations with the Russian Government, v

These pourparlers arc now proceeding, but hero in Paris a curious complication lias arisen. Holders of old Russian bonds, which arc now practically valueless, have given out as their intention to request the French Government to proceed to the .sequestration of all sums which may come to Franco as a result ol the finding of Koitchak's treasure. These should, it is maintained, bo used on behalf of French investors who suffered so heavily as a result of tho Soviet Government’s refusal to recognise tho pre-Rovolntion debts contracted by Russia. There is a belief that tho finding of ono part of tho treasure would csnlt in the discovery of data enabling the rest to be unearthed