Russian Consul Blames American Police Threats For Kosenkina Incident

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26853, 18 August 1948, Page 5

Russian Consul Blames American Police Threats For Kosenkina Incident

N.Z.P.A.—Copyright. Rec. 8 p.m. NEW YORK, Aug. 16. The Russian Consul-general, Mr Jacob Lomakin, said to-day that Mrs Kosenkina was attempting to take her own life when she leaped from a window of the Consulate on Thursday afternoon, and blamed “ White Guard bandits ” (anti-Communist Russian refugees), the New York police and courts, and the American press ahd radio.

Mr Lomakin issued a statement at a press conference called ,at the Consulate to answer questions which reporters had submitted in writing. The statement jnade no reference to the questions but set forth the Consul's own version of the Kosenkina case. The statement said that Mrs Kosenkina had been submitted to drugs and torture while in the hands of the White Guard bandits and these experiences had < undermined her health and mental state even before Mr Lomakin rescued her from her kidnappers on August 7, The statement said that after her rescue all necessary measures were taken for restoring her health and peace of mind and she gradually began to recover. “ The only things which irritated and depressed her were the increased continuous flow of the hostile and malicious fabrications of the United States press and radio concerning the future of Mrs Kosenkina, and the threats of United States police and courts through the press and radio that she would be called by force to the American court” The statement said that Mrs Kosenkina repeatedly said: “I want to go home as soon as possible because I am afraid of - being caught again by those White Russian Guard fiends” ■ Leap from Consulate According to the statement, Mrs Kosenkina told the wives of two Consulate; employees on Thursday that she could no longer stand the persistent hostile crowds which gathered outside the Consulate, or the threats of thp police and courts to force her to appear in court. , “ While talking with the two women she looked through a window and saw the crowd running towards the Con r sulate. She ran away from the window in hbrror and cried: ‘lt looks as if they are coming to get me, then losing control of herself she rushed into the next: room and leaped from the window.” The statement continued: “ It is clear that; the responsibility for everything that! has occurred lies with those who organised the kidnapping and committed violence towards Mrs Kosen kind, a Soviet citizen, and with those American officials who by their actions and- statements have caused the nervous breakdown of Mrs Kosenkina wmch has driven her to an attempt of suicide.” The Soviet vice-Consui, Mr Zot Chepurnykh, described to-day as “not true” the police statement that Mrs Kdsenkina pointed to him from her hospital bed last week' and accused him of holding her prisoner in the Soviet Consulate. He added that only a !few words were spoken during his brief visit, which, he said, was terminated when a police inspector announced “That’s all,” and pushed him ffom the room. Unwelcome Diplomat

American rights—the right of the United States -to give asylum to foreigners seeking it, and United States jurisdiction over foreigners within its borders. Countess Tolstoy Derisive The head of the White Russian organisation in New York, the Tolstoy Foundation, Countess Alexandra Tolstoy, to-day said: “I do not feel disturbed by Mr Lomakin’s statement. ] have a clear conscience and have done no harm to anybody. Mr Lomakin certainly persists in standing at the back of his lies, obviously because he has no other way out. The poor man is so scared that he does not know what to say and how can he go back on the lies he told Mr Molotov in Moscow. It is absurd for anyone to take him seriously.” The New York Times this morning reports that it has learned from trustworthy sources that an exhaustive report hy the Police Department says the charges that Mrs Kosenkina was kidnapped are unfounded. Copies of the police report, the contents of which have been kept secret, have been given to the District Attorney and the United States Attorneygeneral, and a copy was received yesterday by the State Department, it is on that that the State Department will base its answer to the Soviet protests.

The Times says it is learned that the report contains a complete stenographic statement from Mrs Kosenkina given to the police in question and answer form through a competent interpreter. In it she refutes completely Mr Lomakin’s statement and says she jumped from the window to escape confinement in the building. The police report’, which originated from a complaint by the Soviet Consul-gene-ral to the Police Commissioner, closes with the considered police opinion that the “charge of kidnapping is unfounded.”

’The Washington Post demanded today that the United States Government declare the Soviet Ambassador, Mr Alexander Panyusnkin. persona non grata because of his actions in the case of the Russian schoolteachers "who are resisting orders to return- to -Russia. The newspaper. said the Ambassador - waff- contesting - two