RUSSIAN SPIES IN EUROPE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12856, 3 May 1905, Page 1 (Supplement)

RUSSIAN SPIES IN EUROPE.

HOW THE TSAR'S POLICE IS ORGANISED IN PARIS AND LONDON. Paris, March 13. At the present, moment Paris is literally overrun with agents of the Russian secret police. Every time the Nord Express from St. Petersburg arrives in Paris, if contains among its passengers a. score or so of mysterious-looking, thickly-bearded, and more or less shabbilydressed individuals, who arc met at the railway station by one oi other of the subordinates of "Councillor" Rataief, the Russian chief of police in Paris. The Russian secret police service in the French capital*,!*as the. Petite Republique pointed out a day or two ago — vast organisation presided over by two men. One of these " heads'' is Councillor" Rataief, who is a Councillor of Embassy." Rataief's business is to watch his fellow countrymen in Franco, and he has detectives and agents by the hundred all over the country The other head of the Russian secret police in Paris i.-u \i'. Maiiouilof—for many years Paris correspondent of that well-known Russian paper, the Novoe Vremya. His business is to look after the French press and the foreign newspaper correspondents in Paris. He established a sort of weekly circular, called the Revue Russe, now managed by a man called Remusat, and he supplies the Rnssophile papers of Paris with an infinite variety of concocted " telegrams" and other statements concerning Russian affairs. AN OBLIGING POLICEMAN. He is the most obliging man in the world, for he literally pesters both French journalists and the foreign newspaper correspondents in Paris with "news,'' and he is eyer ready to provide correspondents sent to St. Petersburg, or to the seat of war in Manchuria, with passports and various other facilities ■ "Is ir true," M. Roubanovitch (a celebrated Russian revolutionist) was asked by an interviewer, " that the Paris police work hand in hand with the Russian police attached to the Embassy?" ? . Yes; it is quite true, unfortunately," replied M. Roubanovitch. "Indeed, the Russian Embassy police is on a sort of semi-offi-cial footing "in France. Only a few days ago, in connection with the bomb scare, all the newspapers published a statement to the effect that M. Hamard, Chief of the French Detective Department, had called at the Embassy to confer with Rataief. " Moreover, it may surprise you to learn that at the Paris Prefecture of Police there is a certain office where one of Rataief's men is permanently on duty. RUSSIAN REFUGEES. " You know that every foreigner arriving in Paris, and intending to reside here, is bound to make a declaration at police headquarters,'and to produce documents establishing his identity. For reasons which you

will readily understand, Russian refugees, arriving in 'Paris do comply with ts£«ft regulations, but, in nine cases out of ten, the arrival of the refugee in Paris has been noted by the Russian' Embassy police, of whom there are. over 200, and the Russian police official at the Prefecture quickly notifies his French colleagues.

"The unfortunate refugee receives a police notice requesting him to call at the district police commissary's office, and there his identity is carefully established, and a signed copy of the bill of identity is handed to the Russian police at the Prefecture. "If the refugee afterwards wishes to settle in Paris, he is subjected to every conceivable form of vexation and threat from the Paris policeacting, of course, at the instigation of the Embassy. " There are a number of poor Russian students in Paris, who accept a regular payment of from £6 to £10 a month from Rataief's agents to act the spy. but we of the Russian reform movement know them nearly all. Still, just now we are obliged to be extremely careful of the many new 'recruits' who have' suddenly flocked to Paris, consequent on the St."Petersburg troubles. Many of these self-styled refugees arc merely policemen in disguise. "Russian police agents arc resident not only in Paris, but also in all the French .seaports, and in England I here are men permanently, stationed at .Dover, Newhaven, Southampton, Portsmouth. Plymouth, and practically all round the coast of England. THE LONDON ORGANISATION. "The Russian political police organisation in London is managed by a woman, but she is too well known to need any detailed description. She plays in London the same part Manouiloi' does here in Paris." "How many police agents does the Russian Government employ in London?" I asked. - . . -'■'.'. "That is impossible to say. We know of sixty or seventy men, but there are many more. It may surprise you to learn that, several of the Russian police officials in England are Englishmen. " Does Scotland Yard give the Russian police the same assistance in London as the Prefecture of Police here?"

"No, not to anything like the same extent. You see, the British Government does not recognise the existence of any Russian police organisation in London. England is, really and truly, a- free country. Still, Scotland Yard has a. special detective department to look after prominent Socialists, anarchists, and foreign revolutionists. This department dates from the old Fenian outrages in the eighties. It has a sort of inborn prejudice, against all kinds of revolutionists, and there is no doubt the Russian police in London frequently obtain quiet 'indications' from the Scotland Yard authorities." " '. : ''\v In conclusion, M. Roubanovitch said that Father Gapon. was 'hot -likely to come to Paris, swarming as it does with Russian police agents., '.-■ - •