BRITISH PROTEST

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 109, 11 May 1938, Page 7

BRITISH PROTEST

REJECTED BY SOVIET ARREST OF ROSE COHEN A COMMUNIST’S FATE IN RUSSIA Received May 10, 9.5 p.m. MOSCOW, May 10. The Soviet has rejected the British protest regarding Miss Rose Cohen’s arrest, on the grounds that she married a Russian, surrendered her British passport and was admitted to Soviet citizenship at her own reques. in 1936, and for this reason she was amenable to Russian law. Acting upon Instructions from the Foreign Secretary, Viscount Halifax the British Ambassador to Russia, Viscount Chilston. vigorously protested on April 25 last against the arrest and solitary confienment for eight months of a British woman Communist, Miss Rose Cohen, aged 44. Viscount Chilston informed the Soviet Foreign Minister, M. Litvinoff, that the Soviet had contravened the agreement of July 14, 1937, under which Britain granted the Soviet access to Russians arrested almost all over the Empire, and Russia was pledged to notify the British Embassy of the arrest and imprisonment of British subjects. Viscount Chilston told M. Litvinoff that Britain took the gravest view of the case of Miss Cohen and others, and said that if the Soviet’s attitude was persisted in it would seriously prejudice Anglo-Russian relations. Miss Cohen was for many years foreign editor of the semi-official Moscow Daily News. She has been detained in the Ogpu's secret prisons on charges of espionage and conspiracy, and her arrest was not admitted until March 19, in spite of Viscount Chilston’s frequent inquiries.