Evening star., 1922-01-05
CHARGE SEM|ONOFF
WAS SJAPAN'S SAGENT
Americans Say Russian Kept
Alive Pretext for Troops
in Siberia.
BY JUNIUs b. WOOD.

Americans who have been in Sibe-
ria since the time of the allied inter-
vention, especially Army officers who
were attached to the American forces.
have taken vigorous exception to the
statement of the Japanese delegation
and its publicity agents that Semio-
noff was not a paid agent of Japan.
The Americans also fatty deny the
Japanese assertion that its troops are
there to safeguard life and property,
declaring that during last year the
only disorders in Siberia were in the
area of Japanese occupation. The re-
ports of revolutions and uprisings in
other parts of Siberia, they say, were
without foundation, and were circu-
lated through the Japanese aided
newspapers and press agencies by the
Japanese publicity bureau. a branch
of the Japanese army in Vladivostok,
for the purpose of convincing Japan
and the world that the expedition
should remain.
Admitted by Command.
"The Japanese command in Vladi-
vostok repeatedly admitted and never
denied that Semionoff was their agent"
said an American officer who was at
tached to our headquarters. There
were numerous conversations on the
subject between Maj. Gen. Graves, who
was commanding the American forces
Oh. commanding the Japanese troops
and Maj. Gen. Inagaki, his chief of staff
and now in Geneva with the league of
nations. The Japanese were support
ing both Semionoff and Kalmikov, two
the orders of Admiral Kolchak and were
doing everything possible to defeat the
purposes of the allied Intervention.
"On one occasion, when Col. Henry
d. Styer of Detroit, commanding the
27th Infantry and then stationed at
Khabarofsk, disarmed a number Of
kalmikoff's murderers. the Japanese
command requested that the arms be
turned over to them. as they were the
property of the Japanese government.
Gen. Inagaki finally gave Gen. Graves
written statement that the rifles
had been furnished to the Kalmikoff
men by Japan and the American COM
mand delivered them to the Japanese
command. The Kalmikoff men, sup
ported by the Japanese, arrested and
fiogged American soldiers, while the
Semionof troops were even more hos
tile. Their crowning act was when a
Semienoff armored train fired on a
sleeping American camp, killing and
wounding several soldiers.
Repudiated by Other Allies.
"Semionoff was repudiated by all
the allies, except Japan. He refused
to move his troops to the front and
fight, but contented himself with tor
turing and pillaging the Zaibaikal
district. His troops held the rail-
road at Chita, stopping the badly
needed ammunition and other sup
plies which the allies were sending to
Kolchak. Great Britain. France and
the United States protested against
him. Japan supported him from the
start and continued to protect him
with japanese troops after Kolchak
had denounced him as a traitor.
After kolchak was killed Semio-
commander. The Japanese protected
him until the winter of 1920, until
Toxic was able to force the army to
concentrate in the Vladivostok.
Semionoff fled in an airplane from
Chita to Tsingtao. where he was
again under japanese protection.
1.-THE remnants of his troops were
brought into the Vladivostok area by
the Japanese, and the Chita govern
ment was unable to remove them.
They were given arms by the Japanese
to expell the Chita officials from Vladi-
vostok, and Semionon was brought on
japanese ship from Tsingtao. The
Vladivostok consular body, represent
ing twenty-five nations, Of which Y.
Kikuchi. Japanese consul general, was
the chairman, protested against his
landing, and Mr.. Kikuchi presented
the protest to Gen. Tachibana, conn
manding the expedition However.
Semionoff landed and was taken to
Grodekovo under an escort of Japanese
soldiers. another demonstration of the
supremacy of the Japanese military
over it's cabinet or foreign Office.
Expedition Need Upheld.
"The demands of the Japanese pub
lie tnat the Siberian expeditions should
be withdrawn can be met in that coun-
try, where the army has an immense
publicity fund to secure what it wants
and censorship to prevent what 1t
does not want. by protestations that
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