New-York tribune., 1919-12-31
Declares He Refused to Ask
disappointment as Envoy
to Denmark to Avoid
Controversy at Capital
Says Attack Is Foolish
Denies Any Dealings With
Russian Soviet and Is
Opposed to Communism

Norman Hapgood, whose return from
Copenhagen the other day was fol-
lowed by announcement of his request
to President Wilson not to renew his
ad interim appointment as minister to
Denmark issued a statement yesterday
giving his side of the controversy that
has ragged in the United States Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations in re-
gard to Hapgood's alleged activity in
behalf of the Russian Bolshevki.
The statement, confined to a denial
Of charges contained in an article in
"Harveys Weekly" in which Colonel
George Harvey indited his interpreta-
tion of the Senate committees objec-
tions to Hapgood, follows:
zone of several reasons for my re-
questing the President not to reap
point me when my interim appointment
expired was that, in my opinion, any
additional controversy in Washington
ought to be avoided for the public wei
fare. Since Colonel George Harvey,
however has published foolish and
vindictive attack on me, one of my rca-
sons for repeating my request to be let
cut OF the service Immediately was
the necessity OF answering Harvey 3
falsehoods.
Summary of Charges
"They are particularly mean and
malignant, and may be summed up as
follows:
Il. That was "a planipotentiary of
Lcnlnc and Trot2ky.' THIS grotesquc
la!sehood is particularly offensive 10
me. | have been opposed to com
munism all my lie. The Dictatorship p
Of the proletariat' is revolving.
80. That | had used the American
Legation at Copenhagen as a trading
post for the Soviet government This
invention is as despicable as the other.
never had any dealings, direct or in
direct, witt any member agent or rep
resentative Of the Soviet government
"S. That | made repeated overturcs'
in Wall Street to finance the Bolshe-
wiki Although this charge is as false
IS the rest, it requires moro oXplana-
tion. since while The others are pure
inventions this is q distortion Of whe /
did occur. 1t is an audacious reversal
OF the meaning Of two Incidents
this country with a letter from Prince
kropotzin As | mad been taking a
positive and constructive stand on thc
Russian question FOR several years, he
came to me. He WAS vice president Of
the great Central Cooperative Associa-
ton, representing the 7eventeen mil
lion coopcratives cf Russia
"Althouhg he was so anti Bolshevik
as to have been five tines arrested BIZ
the authorities, Mr.. Berkenhelm op-
posed the blockade and wished to cs-
tablish sufficient credit with private
firms or banks to begin business II liz
belief was that the best way to over
come Bolshevism was to restore trade
Agreeing in this view, | gave Mr.. Ber-
kenheim cordial letters to officials OF
our government and heartily urged
that he be permitted to ship out such
stores as flax and hemp, that were
piled up to the value of $500 100000 OF
$500 900, 600 in the possession OF the CO
operatives, awaiting export, and to lnl-
port in exchange such thines rs agri.
cultural machinery, shoes, sugar ano
medicine.
so great are the availablc Rpssiar
exports that only Il few million dollars
short credit would he required to nr1
an enormous exchange INTO operation
Indeed, long before I was appointed
Minister to Denmark | had urged th'
view that the cooporatives were lhc
key to the Russian situation.
THE second episode is a detail il
the first. A young friend of mine
employed by the Guaranty Trust Com
pany, invited me to dinner with him
The dinner took place at the City Cluf
and the other seven people present
were all members of the Guaranty
Trust Company.
"Thc conversation covered world
trade, bnt so far as the Russian par
was concerned it turned on wha
would be safe business enterprise wte1
The blockade should be lifted, especially
imports carried on by credits based OF
deposits in neutral banks.
Justilcs His Views
u explained why | thought the CO.
operatives were strong enough 70 dc
business without being succcssful!S
nterfored with hy the EolshaviAi.
have since sent to Washington he orig
Nal report in Russian of the co0pc "a.
tive activities Up TO Jann4ry le19
and : think it justitics my contention.
Shortly after the dinner. however
there appeared in the public press g