Evening star., 1921-07-30
Speedy Negotiations Asked
to Relieve Million Famine
Stricken Persons.
MRS. HARRISON RELEASED
THROUGH U. S. SENATOR
Mr.. France Escorts Baltimore
Woman to Riga-Sees No
Change Toward Americans.

| BY the Associated Press.
| RIGA. July 30-The offer of Herber;
| Hoover to aid Russia in relieving SUI
| 6ering due to famine on condition that
all Americans now held prisoners in
Russia be released has been accepted
by the Russian authorities, who sug
gest immediate negotiations in order
| to receive speedy assistance, according
| to a dispatch from the Rosta News
Agency of Moscow, received here
| today.
| The text of the reply. made in the
name of Leo Kameneff. head Of the
non -partisans' non-political famine
| relief committee. is as follows:
Te. Of Acceptance.
The Russian government. upon
| learning of the proposals made by
| Herbert Hoover in the name of the
4 American Relief Association. finds
them quite acceptable. including the
question of the release of American
| citizens.
THE Russian government considers
it necessary to fix, as soon as possible
| the exact conditions on which the i'm
| mediate relations are to begin.
| Ns humane intentions guarantee
| the feeding. medical aid and clothing
|
For this purpose the Russian govern
| ment considers it useful that Director
| Brown or any other person authorized
Tor the negotiations should. immedi-
! dteIN come to Moscow, Riga or Reval.
me Russian soviet government eX-
| pects a quick reply, stating the place
and time for the negotiations
tSisned) "KAMENEFF''
Acceptance No Surprise
! NJ. kamenef's reply was sent to
! Maxim Gorky to ;he soviet mission
IN London for delivery there through
the American relief organization. ac-
cording to the local bolshevik lega-
| ton
| The acceptance by Russia of the
demand for the release of the Amer
iCahs dld not come as a surprise to
tne soviet authorities, notwithstand-
ing the criticisms of the United
states for raising the prisoner ques-
ton in time of famine. The soviet
officials are understood TO believe
that their acceptance will not only
| bring the needed famine relief, but
also open channels of future rela-
| tions between Russia and America
| Ihe American government repre-
| SentatlVeS in Riga consider the note
OF Leo kameneff announcing accept
ance of the American conditions for
! famine relief as constituting also an
answer to the demand made by Sec
retary of State Hughes for the re-
lease of the American prisoners in
| Russia.
L. $. Must Send Supplies.
The american relief administra-
| tion in the Baltic states is in no po-
I Sltion to extend aid on a large scale
| to Russia at present. having only
sufficient supplies on hand for its re-
lief work in the Baltic area. il was
explained in connection with the
news of the Russian acceptance.
Hence ii is expected that the sup
plies must be rushed from the United
States
The newspaper Novy Put, the official
| bolShevik organ here, declares the ques-
ton Of releasing the imprisoned Ameri-
cans was in no way connected with the
famine in Russia.
The American government" il says.
could long ago have repatriated its
sorting to such highly cultured and hu-
name pressure. This was proved only
yesterday by the reaching of an agree
ment between Russia and Hungary. II.
however. the American government con-
siders the present moment favorable for
pressure on Russia, then certainly We
can only be surprised al the diplomatic
tact of Secretary of State Hughes"
Baltimore Woman Freed.
Mrs. Marguerite Z. Harrison of Bal
| timore, newspaper correspondent,
who was among the American citi-
| ZenS held prisoner in Russia. has
been released by the soviet authori-
ties and arrived here this morning.
| The release of Mrs. Harrison was
secured through United States Sena-
tor Joseph !. France of Maryland.
| who has been on visit to soviet
Russia to investigate condit itions there.
and it was under his escort that Mrs.
Harrison reached here today, the SEN
La,- al, IaI \
visit.
Mrs. Harrison is pale and thin. but
not in a particularly bad condition as
the result of her Imprisonment.
Acceptance Surprises.
Senator France expressed surprise
at the announcement just received
from Moscow that Russia had agreed
to release the American prisoners.
1T had not decided at all that way
when ! left" said the senator.
Senator Frances trip was an in
teresting one. he reported.
Il still favor trade relations with
Russia" the senator declared.
He would not have anything fur
ther to saw in this connection, he add
ed. until he had an opportunity to
fatigued. He said that while in Mos
COW he had seen Nikolai Lenin, the
Russian soviet premier
! Senator France said he brought no
O1I1Clal messages from the soviet gov
ernment. He declared he found con-
ditions in Russia improving, notwith-
| standing the famine.
Mrs. Marguerite E Harrison daugh-
ter of the late Bernard N. Baker of
Baltimore, and a siSter-in-law of Gov
Albert c. Ritchie of Maryland, and
for many years, a brilliant news
| writer. went to soviet Russia nearly
eighteen months ago as hte corre-
spondent of the Baltimore Sun. and
the New York Evening Post, to write
feature stories for those newspapers.
Ehe also sent cable and wireless dis
patches to the Associated Press and
for time. up to last October these
messages were virtually the only first
hand news received in the United
States from the isolated capital of
soviet Russia.
Mrs. Harrison was taken into GUS
tody by the soviet authorities in June,
1920, just as she was about to leave
Russia. She was released not long
afterward. but was arrested for the
second time October "a last and since
held prisoner. Several times efforts
were made through official and pri-
vate channels to secure her release,
but in each instance up to the present
these efforts were fruitless.
| Since the death of her husband.
Thomas r. Harrison. Mrs. Harrison