RUSSIAN ARRESTED IN U.S.: DEMAND FOR HIS RELEASE

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 March 1949, Page 6

RUSSIAN ARRESTED IN U.S.: DEMAND FOR HIS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, March 9

The Russian Ambassador to the United States (Mr Panyushkin) today saw the Secretary of State (Mr Dean Acheson), and again demanded the immediate release of Valentin Gubitehev, the Russian engineer who was arrested on March 4 on a charge of conspiring to commit espionage. Mr Panyushkin told reporters that diplomatic immunity was violated by Gubitchev’s arrest. He added that Mr Acheson had promised an early answer. Earlier today, Mr Acheson told reporters that Gubitehev did not have immunity from prosecution as a spy suspect. He added that a United

Nations staff member did not have general diplomatic immunity, but Fmmunity only for acts carried out in an official capacity. At Lake Success, experts who follow Russian policy closely said today that if Mr Panyushkin tailed to get Gubitehev released the Soviet might withdraw the remaining 26 of its citizens employed by the United Nations Secretariat. It was pointed out that the conviction of Gubitehev would throw suspicion on all his compatriots in the secretariat, and make their position almost untenable. In New York, Federal attorneys said that they hoped to obtain a Grand Jury indictment by J nday aeainst Gubitehev and Judith Coplan an employee of the United States Justice Department, who was arrested at the same time.