New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-04-13
May Air Secret of Entry usr,

" ueherai Senenoff, and he put the
number .,, at 100000 men, women and
children. winch ana
May Air Secret of Entry Here
me inquiry was begun at tho in
s.ahce OF Senator Borah, chairman nf
tne Education and Labor Commits.
Hho taxes the view that Semenoff. who
~ now IN New York. should be de.
porleo' before the investigation closes
n.HS 20 TO the question of why Sem
ehor was permitted to enter this COW
Try. II is the understanding that tho
Departmcnt Of Labor did not desire to
Permlt MIN to enter, but that the State
department took the opposite vi.w
and II was because of the State Den.rt'
ment's attitude that he was ahjc ~
come in ANY 70
General semcnoff was represented At
tne nearing by counsel. John Kirkland
Nisrk. OF New York, who cross.esam.
ihed General Graves and Colonel Mor.
rev. but did not shake their evjdon o.
Mr.. Clark is endeavorine to defond
General Semenoff, as he made plain ~
me close Of the hearing, on the ground
tha' the Cossack was not personally
Responsible for the crimes and that
1he3 we're committed by subordirotes
or persons not under his control also
mat he was responsible to Kolchak.
Mr.. Clark notified the committee that
General Semenoff desired to testify
ana would appear If he could do so
"hile under arrest in New York under
a Charge Of theft. He also said that
Colonel Krupski, who describes himself
as IN charge of foreign affairs under
Semenoff in Siberia and who is in New
York, will appear
John 7. Taylor, legislative represent
atiVe of the American Legion, was
present at the hearing. He is expected
to TESTIFY. He told newspaper men he
previously had advised the State. Labor
and War departments about the record
Of Semenoff in Siberia and protested
against him being allowed to enter this
country.
U. S. Near War With Semenof
While it has long been known there
was trouble in eastern Siberia between
tie American Expeditionary Forces and
Semenoff, the full version of the facts
IL given by the American army officers
in their official reports has never been
disclosed. 1t came out to-day for the
first time and it was made entirely
clear that hostilites between the
Americans and Scmenoffs forces was
barely averted.
Colonel Morrow declared that it be-
came necessary for his forces, acting
with the Czecho- Slovaks. to disarm
$500 Of the Semenoff troops in order
to make it safe for the Czecho- Slovak
IBERIA. He declared that 1t was his pur-
pose and that of the Czech -Slovaks
to disarm them all had not "another
power" interviewed. He said he did not
wish to say what power that was Some
OF the members of the committee ex-
pressed the view that it was France
While some of the testimony showed
that small detachments Of Japanese
troops had operated with the Semenoff
forces in raids and outrages on peas
ants, it was not brought out clearly
Semenoff. Colonel Morrow did say that
he had complained of Japanese troops
taking part in outrages along with
General Levitski's forces in the Selenga
Valley, but the japanese did nothing
about it. General Levitski, as de-
scribed by Colonel Morrow, was in COM
mand of "the wild division" of Mon
gollans and Cossacks, part of Seme-
noH's troops.
Captain E. L. Earle, of st. Paul.
British officer, formerly on liaison duty
in Eastern Siberia, will testify to-mor.
row concerning Semenoff and affairs in
that territory.
Semcnoff Ruthless, Graves Says
General Graves, who is now at Camp
DIX, said he was in command of the
American expedition in Siberia in 1919
and 1920. He had met Semenotf per-
sonally and knew of him through re-
ports of officers and otherwise He de-
clared General Semenoff's reputation
was that he had little if any regard
for human life or for property"
He said the first acute trouble be-
tween the Americans and Semenoff be-
gan soon after the American forces in
the Baikal sector began guarding the
railroad to keep it open for traffic
Semenoff began Selling Russians work
ing on the railroad, whipping and in
some cases killing them. His excuse
was that it was his business to seize
Bolsheviki wherever he could find
them. A train of armored cars was
used by SemeDoff's troops in these op-
erations.
General Graves testified that General
Semenoff was charged with having held
up trains at town in Manch1ria
and taken 100000 rubles from Chi
nese and Russians. One of Kolchak's
generals later, according to General
Graves, said Kolchak's government
would have to settle for it.
General Graves told of being ordered
to turn over arms to Kolchak. 1t was
lo+o ~