Evening star., 1927-11-05
EMBASSY DENIES
| DELAYING CHECKS
Nungesser- Coli Gifts Held Up
+ in New York, French
IS Official Charges.

The French embassy today emphau-
cally denied published reports that the
embassy in Washington is responsible
for the delay in sending to Paris
checks remitted to them by the New
York committee OF the Nungesser-
Coli fund. Jules Henry, secretary to
EAmmssador Paul Claudel, who is alb
sent on a visit to New York. branded
the reports as a a. "fallacious misrepre-
Sentation."
"The only apparent reason for
which the funds collected We're not
distributed Immediately" Mr.. Henry
said, lis due to the desire of the
French prime minister, M. Poincare,
who learned that Coli had left three
children, while NungesSer left none, to
see that the funds are prOportiOnally
Civi6ed among the families. This NJ.
lPoioNAr could not do without bring
ing the sit ;.ation of the families to
the attention of the New York com.
nittee.
Checks Turned Over.
last July Bernard II. Sander, one
Of the members of the New York fund
committee, gave to Count D'Scartiges,
French charge d'affaires. two checks
representing the New York Subscrip-
ton to the Nungesser and Coli fami-
lies. Those were made payable to
Paul Claudel, the French Ambassador,
and since the checks were in the Am
bassador's name, who was then on
leave in France, the charge d'affaires
forwarded them at once to him in
Paris. There Mr.. Claudel indorsed the
checks and turned them over to M.
Toincaire, who has been intrusted
Il jix-iI hn.
tween the two families.
"a short time after NJ. POincare
received the money and just when he
was about to distribute the funds he
found that Coli had left three children
fbesdes his mother. while Nungesser
: had left no children. NJ. Poincare
consequently called that to the atten-
ton of the French embassy during the
Summer, requesting that the embassy
inform Mr.. Gerard. former German
Ambassador and president of the Nun
gesser-Coli committee, of the situa-
ton Of the families. in order that that
committee would grant its permission
to include Coils three daughters in
the distribution of the funds.
Embassy Delay Denied.
1.-THE French embassy then took the
matter up Immediately with the COM
lmittee in New York. At that time
Mr.. Gerard was abroad and the
treasurer of the fund committee, Mr..
C. s. Mitchell. informed the commit
tee that he had the matter under ad
tvissment. but believed that Mr..
Gerard would give his consent as he
himself was willing to do.
That was late in September. I
presume the delay was due to that
cause. and to that cause only. / en-
'phatically e.> that there has been
any della q, ne part of the embassy.
When "a received the checks here
.they were forwarded at once to the
Amba ssador.'
1t was stated in the published re.
port that the checks apparently were
not forwarded, or. IL they were. they
were brought back to this country by
Ambassador Claudel, as all were
csshed at the Riggs National Bank
On Washington. October ..
Report, Held Erroneous.
In .refuting that statement. which
Mr.. Henry declared was an erroneous
"mixing up of facts" he said: Two
cl. ecks totaling s31 .25I.44 were given
bysAr. Sandlsr.. to the French charge
d d'affaires.
These checks I have previously re.
ferred to. Maxor Walker while in Paris
RENTED to the president of the Mu-
ricipal Council (he mayor Of Paris
nine checks which :he New York
people had given Mr.. Walker for the
benefit of the Nungesser-Coli families.
These nine checks representing
81 900 were sent by he mayor OF
Paris to the French Ambassador. then
in Washington. made pa cable in his
name. Mr.. CIaU 1el endorsed those
nine checks and had them cashed at
the Riggs National Bank in exchange
for a check of the same amount on
the National City Bank of Paris, made
payable to the mayor Of Paris.