DEEPLY RESENTFUL IN THE NORTH SEA LONG AND BITTER CABLE MR. HULL BAFFLED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 256, 30 October 1939, Page 7

DEEPLY RESENTFUL

IN THE NORTH SEA

LONG AND BITTER CABLE

MR. HULL BAFFLED

U.S. GOVERNMENT CITY OF FLINT EPISODE UNSATISFACTORY SOVIETGERMAN ATTITUDE Received Oct. 29, 7.30 p.m. WASHINGTON, Oct. 28. The Administration is deeply resentful and irritated over the City of Flint episode. The situation is so tense that the State Department issued a statement formally charging the Soviet with withholding adequate co-opera-tion and implying that neither Russia nor Germany had been frank, if indeed they had been honest. Officials are very angry over the failure of the American Ambassador, Mr. T. Steinhardt, to ascertain the facts, and consider that the Soviet treated him with contempt. The confusion regarding the whereabouts of the City of Flint further strains the atmosphere. The Soviet announced that the ship had been ordered to leave Murmansk, but Berlin informed the American Charge d'Affaires that the vessel had not sailed, which fact the officials do not believe.

The Washington correspondent of th? New York Times considers that j the State Department’s statement is intended as a basis for resistance cf I any claim for permanent possession j winch Germany might advance in a I Prize Court. The statement also re- ’ fleets White House’s intense irritation over the Russian attitude and failure ! to accord Mr. Steinhardt facilities lor ascertaining the facts The statement factually, recites the circumstances surrounding the City of Flint since her seizure, stressing that when she entered Murmansk the plea that she had no charts necessary to navigate a German port must be ignored or considered unsatisfactory, since the German crew was interred Secondly, the entirely different rea-son--defective machinery—was unvaried until later in justificat'm ci the release of the Germans and permitting the City of Flint to depart with the German and American crews I aboard, instead of returning the vessel to the American crew. I The statement continues that the i known facts support the United States’ contention that the Germans did not, when entering, offer reasonable and justifiable grounds for taking the City of Flint to Murmansk and therefore it was the clear duty of- the Soviet to return ship and her American crew. Despite Mr. Steinhardt’s j difficulties, the German authorities were not without information. German Scheme Defeated. The Moscow correspondent of the New York Times, Mr. G. E. R. Gedye, says the defeat of the German scheme to delay the City of Flint indefinitely at Murmansk, must be considered a United States diplomatic victory. The Germans are disappointed and do not disguise that they demanded that Russia apply Article 23 the Hague Convention. 1907, providing that a neutral allow a belligerent to bring a seized neutral ship into harbour for sequestration, pending the prize court’s decision. The flaw was that the United States excepted Article 23.

1 CITY CF FLINT GOING TO GERMAN PORT BRITISH NAVY INTERESTED Received Oct. 29, 6.30 p.m. LONDON, Oct. 28. it is reported from Berlin that it is : announced all are well aboard the City of Flint, which is creeping through the : North Sea to an unnamed German ; Port with the prize crew from the I Deutschland running the ship, although it is revealed that the Ameri- ■ can crey are aboard. i Officials emphasised that the British | Navy undoubtedly is highly interested in the City of Flint's whereabouts and would sink her to prevent the conti a- ! band falling into Germany's hands, ii is confidently predicted that the ship will reach port next week.

AMERICAN AMBASSADOR’S REPORT i Received Oct. 29. 9.5 p.m. WASHINGTON, Oct. 28. The United States has formally protested to Russia against the withholding of information concerning the City of Flint, and the difficulties put in the way of communication with the American crew. The American Ambassador, Mr. Steinhardt notified Mr. Cordell Hull that the Soviet authorities had ordered the vessel to leave Murmansk under the German crew, contending that the Soviet had fulfilled her obligations as a neutral in forcing the ship to depart under the same conditions as her entry. A long and bitter cable recited the difficulties in obtaining information. The Ambassador frequently was refused even appointments with the Soviet officials and was unable to communicate with the American crew by telephone or telegraph. Permission also was withheld to fly to Murmansk. The report increased the intense resentment of the State Department, which pointedly referred to the Tass agency incident whereby it announced the news of the City of Flint before the United States was notified, this being a breach of etiquette.

EFFORTS TO GET FACTS CITY OF’ FLINT 'MYSTERY SHIP.” WASHINGTON. Oct. 27. The Secretary of State (Mr. Hull), at a Press conference, with a note of bitterness in his voice, said that he had been completely baffled in his efforts to get adequate, information from the Russian Government concern the Citv of Flint, which to the

State Department had become a veritable mystery ship. Apparently he was also piqued by the Soviet’s release of news of the vessel through the Tass news agency hours before it supplied similar information to the United States Government, Mr. Hull intimated I hat. a German Prize Court at which the United States was represented was apparently the only place where the United States can expect to obtain all the facts. President Roosevelt, at a Press conference, said that he lacked sufficient new information to comemnt on the City of Flint incident. Murmansk was a long way from Moscow, and details were hard to get.