New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-05-13
'SenenOff Acts
Justified, Aid
Writes Borah
Answering Four Questions
OF Senator, kroupsky
Says Civilized Warfare
Did Not Rule i'm Siberia
Ataman's Defense Shown
Expects General Will APP
pear Before Labor Com
mittee Hearing Next Week

Indications of the inc Of, attack
against General Semenof by Senator
Borah and the Senate Labor Commit
tee, and of the defense that will be
offered by the Cossack chieftain. are
given in letter from Senator Borah
to Colonel George Kroupsky, made
public last night, and in the latter's
answer, sent at the same time.
Senator Borah's letter was written
% receipt of Kroupsky's telegram re-
questing an opportunity to present q
statement to the committee. 1t asks
an answer to four questions, in order,
says the Senator, that he may be
guided in the future conduct OF the
Semenoff investigation.
Senator Borah first asked what was
Semcnoff's relationship to the Kolchak
government. He next requested a
copy Of the record touching the al
legged trial of officers of Semenoff's
army for the attack or American
troops Of January 10 1920 The third
question inquired the name of the per-
aon responsible for the slaughter
pens" referred to in the testimony Of
several witnesses before the commit
tee, including that of General Graves
and Colonel Morrow, and the last
query sought to learn the relationship
between Generals kalmikotf, Lcvitsky
and Bogolomctz, all of whom have
been accused of atrocities, and Cen
eral Semenoff.
Sketches Siberian Conditions
Colonel kroupsky. who said yester-
day that he exepcted that he and Sem
enoff would be summoned before the
ply last night began by sketch of
conditions in Siberia at the time of the
Semenoff regime. which, he intimate
were so complicated that Borah, de-
spite the fact that he has long occu-
pied high position, and has had much
experience in American affairs. could
have no adequate picture of them
Among the many reasons why the
sight against the Bolsheviki did not re-
suit ia their defeat, two principal fac
tors were dominant" declared Kroup-
sky, first. the impossibility Of secur-
ing united action among the great ma
1ority of the Russians opposed to the
Bolshevik movement, and, particularly.
among their leaders, and second, the
difficulty of those who were at the head
Of the anti 30 lshevik movement in pro
curing proper aids in their responsible
positions"
These things and the fact that most
OF the leaders had no personal ac-
quaintance and were usually separated
by. thousands of miles Of territory. are
offered by Kroupsky as explanation of
the differences of opinion between Sem
eaof and Kolchak, of which much has
been made.
Will Show War Photographs
Much of the testimony before the
committee. according to Colonel Kroup-
sky's letter, related to cruelties al
legged to have been committed on the
Bolsheviki by the anti Bolshevik forces.
No doubt atrocities were committed on
both sides, but the war was an inter
necine one. it is pointed out. in which
the ordinary rules of civilized warfare
went by the board, and duly authenti-
Gated photographs in the writer's pos
session will be put in evidence to show
that the White atrocities were pro-
voked by Red outrages of such a nature
las would lead any army to acts Of
1oprisal."
Regarding Colonel Morrow's testi-
mony. the latter goes on to charge that
his statements were influenced by a
purely personal point of view, and that
his judgment was based on insufficient
information" Morrow's activities in
Siberia, according to Kroupsky, had a
very different effect from what he