The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-09
SOVIET HITS
GERMAN TRADE
HEAVY WALLOP
Teutonic Business Knees
Are Webbing

especial 10 ne paliy Worker)
MOSCOW. May S.--The Soviet Gov
eminent in reprisal for the illegal
raiding of it's Berlin embassy by the
German political police, slammed the
trade door in the face Of that nation
and closed its commercial office in
Berlin until ample satisfaction is Civ
en- the Russian government.
Branches of the Soviet commercial
Office all over Germany have been
closed and the one planned for Koen-
igsburg is Indefinitely postponed. Ger
man trade is heavily hit and already
business men are bringing pressure
to bear on the Prussian Minister of
the Interior responsible for the out
rage.
The Teutonic pocket is not so we'll
filled these days that it can afford to
be too cocky and Soviet Russia knows
quite well how sensitive nerve runs
from the bourgeois pocket to his
brain. The tramp of the Red Army
on its way to Berlin does not hold
any more terror for German business
than does the prospect of slump in
profits.
Despite the extreme provocation,
Soviet Russia is not inclined to take
extreme measures. Tho in the opin-
ion of students of international law,
the breaking into an embassy by
armed forces and the arrest of its
staff together with the rifing of its
desks and the seizure Of documents,
is considered grounds for breaking
off of diplomatic relations, the desire
of the Soviet government for peace
outweights it's resentment. It is rath-
er more than a coincidence that the
raid took place simultaneously with
the German elections and with new
wave Of anti-Soviet propaganda, which
is flooding European capitals.
Soviet officials claim the incident
was timed to kill the Anglo-Rus-
sian conference and to convince Poin-
care that he had no reason to fear
Russian-German agreement. The sue
cess of the Communists in the Ger
man elections, however, somewhat
dampened the spirits Of the bour-
geoisie Of that country and the tre-
mendous gains made by that party,
has caused CONSERVATION, in financial
circles from Berlin to New York.
The editor of the Soviet Organ L.
vestia, declares that the raid was not
IL N oh 81 he 10 Of
ty, but an insult to the Soviet govern,
ment. "The great mass of our work
iers and peasants who are attentively
/, following our foreign policy" says
Litvinov, twill certainly ask them
selves what is the meaning Of this
unexpected provocative act by the
German authorities. They will ask
if it means that the German govern
ment is changing it's line of conduct
or desires to end the friendship be-
gun by the signing of the treaty of
Rapallo.
without doubt, such question
can be answered in the negative. The
community of political and economic
interests which called the treaty of
Rapallo into being remains and will
continue for long time. Not for a
moment will / entertain the thought
that Germany has any intention of
changing its relations with this coun-
try"
Litvinov suspects Franco-German
conspiracy to upset the London con-
ference to be back of the raid. Ger
mans fear that the peak of Russian
trade will be shifted to England and
Poincare does not want either Brit
ish or Russian influence strengthened
in Europe.
Soviet Russia is by no means sat
isfied with its dealings with German
capitalists. The latter have failed to
live up to their promises. They have
not granted the necessary credits.
During this year the Soviet govern
ment has not granted any concessions
to German business men, even the
Wolff concession being cancelled.
Meanwhile, N. Krestinsky, Soviet
ambassador to Berlin. has postponed
his departure for Moscow pending the
arrival Of M. Stomaniakow, chief of
the Russian commercial delegation to
| ondon