The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-12
VANDERBILT TELLS OF
RUSSIAN CONQUESTS
Continued from First Page.

Continued from First Page.
angry or upset I'm rather f1attsred by
the attention. because. after all. there's
nothing at all remarkable in getting
these contracts. Any man who knew the
Russian people as know them, and who
went at Lenine as / did. with the knowl-
edge that he had something to give. pro.
vided he was going to get something OF
par value in return. could have swung
the deal There was no hocus pocus OF
legerdemain about il. assure you.
And, bless you, / had no letter from
Mr.. Harding. never saw Senator Har-
ding. So far as 1 know, / know no per-
son who knows him. That is pure bosh
And the stN'y printed here and in Eng
land quoting Benjamin Schlessinger OF
the United Garment Workers to the ef-
feet that on the letter carried to Lenine
the name of Frank A. vanderlip was
signed in pencil is utter rot In the first
place. Schlessinger never saw the letter
carried TO Lenine. That letter was
merely my credentials from my associ-
ates that was intended to prove that |
had the power to transact business for
them"
The only signs of irritation that Mr..
Vanderlip displayed at any time during
the interview was when a reporter re-
peated the name of Senator Harding. AT
first Mr.. VanderIip refused to reply to
questions regarding the alleged letter
from the President-elect to Lenine, He
said that 1t was none of anybody's busi-
ness"
But it is our business to know
whether Secretary Colby was telling the
truth or not, whether Senator Harding
did write letter which you carried to
Moscow" persisted the reporter.
well then" he snapped, "Tll tell you.
had no letter from Senator Harding.
SO far as l know Senator Harding never
heard OF me; never knew was in or
going to Russia. Does that suit you ?"
Frank A. Vanderlips name was in
Jeeted into this affair by the London
Times" ne resumed. Mr. vanderlip is
my cousin--once removed. Or, rather I
had better put 1t this way-my father
and Frank A. Vanderbilt were first cous-
ms. AS / said, l was born in Elkhart,
IND. hfty-three years ago. My book
schooling was brief because of necessity.
1 went West and punched cattle in
wyoming and down through the South
west.
Surveyed for Leigh Hunt.
Il am not university man, unless II
be university Of adversely. in which |
am still student. No. what little ]
know / learned In the field. I mined a
while In Colorado and then struck out
Tor Siberia and Alaska. For three years
! was the manager for Augustus f.
Heinze's interests in Alaska and then
ha
chatka and went down into Corea. max.
ing geological and mining surveys for
Leigh Hunt. the mining authority ali
you New Workers. ought to know. He
lives here in New York.
Il hooked up then with the Russian n.
English Company and was commissioned
10 explore northeastern Siberia I was
so Impressed by my own trip with eight
men over 5000 miles of that country
being shipwrecked to start with ano
living on blubber and in skins with the
natives on the Arctic Ocean, that
wrote book about it-"In Search OF
the Siberian KlondlSe." The Century
Company published it in 1903. MY lit.
erary effort is now out of print; but
perhaps some library has il. | was mol
SO great a literary man as. for Instance
II. G.. Wells, whose experiences in Mos.
\
"As L say, I attended no college. bu
was learning much, and I think, ny
this time, l was a better mining eng!
neer than many college bred men.
had spent three, years in Siberia wher
Sir Ralph Moore cabled Leigh Hunt 70,
the name of some American capable O
making n good job of an exploration
of Nigeria. Hunt was kind enough I,
tell Sir Ralph that he could recommend
Vanderlip, who. Hunt said, would sticl
anything out. So 1 went to Africa FOL
Sir Ralph.
81 surveyed that country from the
| desert 10 the Gulf of Guinea. But Il
played hell with me, and when in 100
! King Leopold offered me $4,000 a veal
! e. large sum IN those days) TO tax,
charge of his personal concessions IN
| the Lake Taneanyika country IN the
! Belgian Congo the doctors said I wasn't
/ At. I couldn't pass the required physi
| cal examination and the doctors told me
| to get ont Of Africa. l stayed in Eng.
! land for n while, but came back 10 the
| States and became consulting eneineei
| for 4 plumber of mining corporations
/ I have been member OF tho Institute
! OF Mining ENGINEERS and am q Fellow
I in the Royal Geographical Society. In.
asmuch as ] have tramped over vir.
] iutt4y tNNl 'SSiaIg AZ Ai4t NOi4u lDs
advice on tho mining prospects here
and there has proved valuable to many
big interests.
Settled Down In New York.
For while ] settled down here II
| New York and was employed by tn,
| General Electric Comp ny as miniptf
! engineer under d. NJ. Reardon and IN.
son w Burchard, one Of the director.
OF that corporation. shall stay hers
in New York for two or three davs be
cause Il presents one OF the few chances
have OF visiting the grave OF m,
daughter out IN New Rochelle. Their
I am Eoinr TO Washington.
"Of course am going TO do All III
lobbying + can to get the United State
! Government TO rccur1e trade relation
I with Russia. +, Remeuacr I have soi'
/ n0thine about recognition or the Sovie
/ Republic 10 not confuse the two Al
( Russia wants Is trade. IF we eventuall
| choose 20 recognize the Government a
! the Government OF the Russian pcopl