Evening star., 1927-05-25
Britain to Break With Russia.

reveals that the recent raid conducted
in London on the Soviet headquarters
yielded sufficient evidence Of subver-
sive activity by bolshevik agencies to
warrant the breaking of all relations
with the government at Moscow. A
proposal to this effect will be made to
the House tomorrow, and unless pres
ent signs are fallible vote will be
granted affirming the governments
decision. In this case the trade agree
ment between Great Britain and Rus
sia will be terminated, the Soviet mis-
sion in London will be given its
passports" and the British mission at
Moscow will be recalled.
According to the prime minister's
statement yesterday the raid, while it
failed to yield the state paper which
was specifically sought and which
was believed to have fallen into the
hands Of Russian agents, brought to
light numerous evidences OF sys-
tematfc campaign of conlmunistic agi-
tation, particularly among seamen on
ships under the control of ARGOS, the
Russian trading organization. These
men, it would appear, were carefully
chosen with regard to their repre-
sentation of the oppressed nationals"
Having been thus trained, they
were then to be placed on British
ships for subversive propaganda
among their crews. In addition to the
materials discovered in the ARGOS raid
there were numerous other evidences
Of mischievous activity by the Moscow
government directed against Great
Britain in relation to the Chinese
situation. The premier pointed out
clear indications that Michael Boro-
din, the Russian former associate Of
Chang Kai.shek in the southern Chi
nese government organization, was in
fact the direct, though technically un-
official, representative of Moscow, act
ing under instructions from Soviet
headquarters.
This outcome Of the recent raid, as
suming approval by the House of
Commons at tomorrow's session, will
be serious disappointment to the
Laborites, who had hoped that the
raid would prove a boomerang and
weaken the Conservative ministry in
public esteem. The political effect,
therefore, is likely to be to strengthen
the Conservative government and to
increase it's chances Of success in the
next elections.
BY coincidence comes a report from
Paris that France is expected soon
to break relations with Moscow,
though not in any way in sympathy
with the action Of the British govern
ment. For several months the French
government has been investigating
Communist activities in France. The
inquiry is not finished, but it is known
that much has been done to justify
the belief that Russia has under va
rious forms of unofficial cover been
conducting active propaganda In
France and in French colonies. It is
reported that at very recent inter-
view between Foreign Minister BRAND
and Tchitcherin in Paris the former,
in response to Tchitcherin's protest
that the Soviet government was not
responsible for Communist activity in
France, observed that he failed to un-
derstand why the Soviet embassy in
Paris appeared to be the general head
quarters of all Communist activity in
that country. II this is the case it
would appear that Moscow has been
playing precisely the same game in
Paris that it has in London, and hav-
ing lost in London is likely now to
lose in France.