SOVIET PROTESTS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22511, 15 December 1947, Page 5

SOVIET PROTESTS

FRENCH _ARRESTS RUSSIAN CITIZENS PARIS EXPLAINS ACTION (N. Z. P. A.—Reuter —Copyright.) (11 a.m.) PARIS, Dec. 14. The French Foreign Office announced that the Soviet Embassy in Paris had sent a Note to the French Government protesting against the arrest yesterday of Russian citizens in Marseilles and Paris. Reuter’s correspondent in Paris says that Foreign Office officials described the note as an “energetic ’protest.” It is learned reliably that the Note demands the immediate release of an undisclosed number of Russian citizens who were arrested. The correspondent adds that since the beginning of November 43 Russians are reported to have been arrested or excelled from France. The First Secretary of the Russian Embassy, M. Starikov, said the French police were continuing provocative arrests of Soviet citizens on baseless pretexts. Arrests in Paris The Russians arrested in Paris yesterday included the former commandant ‘of the Beauregard repatriation camp, a member of the Soviet repatriation mission and two chauffeurs attached to the mission. The arrests in Marseilles and Paris totalled eight. The French Foreign Office spokesman said the new arrests were merely in execution of the Government's decision to rid France of foreign nersons known to be dangerous to France’s security and to have indulged in subversive activities. A French Note, which was sent to the Russian authorities last night, said the statements of the violent treatment of Russian repatriates, as alleged in the Russian Note of December 8, were without foundation. It says that Russian citizens about whose “arrest” Russia had protested were not arrested but were justifiably deported. They were members of the Russian reriatriation mission and should have left France on December 9, at the same time as Colonel Filatov, the head Of the mission. They remained in France, however, contrary to -the French decision, duly notified to Russia and contrary also to Russia’s own decision on December 0, terminating the mission and ordering its members to leave France. _____