New Britain herald., 1918-08-15
AMERICA BREAKS
 WITH BOLSHEVIKI
Swedish Consul General Handling
 Affairs at Moscow

Washington, Aug. 15.-The United States has severed all connections l with the Bolsheviki and even the con- sular representatives which this gov ernment has maintained in Moscow have abandoned their duties since August 5.
 Official report has reached the state department from the American minister to Sweden that the Swedish Foreign Office has informed him that on August , the Swedish consuI-gen- eral at Moscow took temporary charge of American as well as the English and Japanese interests
 The state departm ent has received several telegrams from American con- sul general Poole at Moscow concern ing the declaration of war on the AL lies by Nikolai Lenine, the Bolshevik leader and other recent events. One of the telegrams similar in character to a previous message received through other channels, states that on July 29 Lenine declared repeatedly before an official gathering of the Soviets that a state of war existed between the Russian Republic and the allied powers.
 Because of this the diplomatic rep
  tain and the consular representatives of France, Italy and the United States visited the Commissariat for foreign affairs and inquired if Lenine's decla- ration should not be considered a declaration of war, involving the rup- ture of de facto relations and the de- parture of the consuls
 TchitCherin said that it need not be understood Ia Of defence rather than a state of war, and that the government desired to continue it's relations with the En- tente, as it did with Germany under analogous circumstances.
 The cOnsulS demanded that to be acceptable any explanation must be publicly made by the head of the government himself. They also pointed out that the question was in- separable from that of the departure of the members of the former mili- tary mission. After having agreed to facilitate the departure of these per sons, in accordance with internation- al law the government. they said had raised absolutely inadmissible objections The foreign representa- tiVes also stated that they could not see in this attitude anything but con-
 
 the existence of a state of war. Tchit- cherin said he would give a reply within three days
 On the night of August a reply was received from rchitcherin It stated that inasmuch as Lenine's ut terances were made behind closed doors in meeting at which an agent of the Allies could be present only owing to a separate courtesy on the part of the Soviet government public explanations could not be given about non-public utterances. AS to the members of the military missions Tchitcherin said that negotiations had been begun with the German authori- ties to procure safe passage from Pe- trograd to Stockholm for these off, cers, passage through Archangel be- ing impossible because British cruis- CTS had already begun the lombard ment of the islands covering Archan- gel
 A third report from Consul General Poole refers to the arrests of British and French citizens at Moscow. On the afternoon of August 5 there was a conference between Tchitcherin and the the consuls- general of Japan, Sweden and the United States with the following results:
 First, the Soviet government gave solemn assurances that allied persons having diplomatic or official character would not be molested; second, Tchitcherin stated the allied military missions would not be allowed to de- part as had been promised; third, that civil persons arrested were hos tages for the lives of Soviet members in territory occupied by the Allies.
 Tchitcherin said that these persons are civil prisoners arrested, in accord ance with the practices of war, for internInent He added that no re- sponsibility could be assumed for their future safety because Great Britain and France had attacked Ar changel without q declaration of war.
 MT. Poole stated that he was with out knowledge of what had taken place in the north but warned Tchitcherin that the peoples of the allied nations could not be intimidated and that the imitation of a system of reprisals by the Soviet government could only result in individual members of the government being held personally re- sponsble and in the loss by the Bol- shevik cause of whatever respect it might now have in the minds of the civilized world.
 A fourth message from Mr. Poole, dated August 6, stated that the author ities forcibly entered the Consulates General of France and England on the afternoon of the fifth and arrested the Consul General and their staffs. At o'clock on the morning of the sixth the Consuls General and part of their staffs were released through the untiring good offices of the Swedish Consul General.
 MT. Poole stated that a guard re- mained around both consulates and would not permit British or French