New Britain herald., 1930-10-04
Occasional Bust of Lenin
 Only Indication of Soviet Influence to Be Seen.

New York. Oct. 4 {UP)-Officials of the Amtorg Trading Corporation, who often have been pictured as super-spies of the Soviet, depicted themselves yesterday as a group of alert business men who have adopted many American traditions in their business projects in this country.
 They occupy sunny offices on three entire floors of a midtown skyscraper and while there are busts of Lenin here and there, a diligent search failed to disclose sliding panels, trap doors or any other of the traditional mechanisn1s of melo- drama.
 of course we know" they said, that there have been attempts to picture us as villains and spies, but we feel Americans are coming to a better understanding of what Am torg is trying to do in the United States"
 Then they proceeded to explain that they were so occupied in pro- noting business relations between the United States and Russia that they did not even have time to con- sider such vital political issues as whether this government should rec ognize the Soviet. They are the pio- neers of a new governmental exper- iment. They have emigrated to the United States just as employees of the Hudson Bay company penetrat- ed the wilderness of the North American continent in search of business for their employers.
 Lets Contracts
 Specifically, the Amtorg Trading Corporation is charged with the task of letting contracts in this country for work in Russia and for helping Russia sell its goods here. It acts as Q commission house.
 Tt is our job to let contracts to such firms as the Ford Motor Co.,, the Seiberling Rubber Co.,, the Tim ken Detroit Axle Co.,. and some 50 others for work in Russia" one of ficial explained. That means these firms send technicians to the Soviet states and we in turn bring experts over here to confer on big construc- tion projects. We feel this inter change of expert labor is beneficial to both countries"
 Amtorg on this basis has only a few articles for sale, and that is why it's officials claim to be amused at such things as former Police Commissioner Grover Whalen's at- tempt to prove they had in custody a sheaf of Soviet documents which were purported to be instrum ental in the spread of Soviet propaganda The documents subsequently, were proven to be forgeries.
 So far as Russian trading on the Chicago wheat market concerned Amtorg officials hold that is g le- gitimate operation which is toun- ! tenanced by business men every, where. The Amtorg men contend such trading is merely an adoption of American methods.
 Chemist Is Head
 At the head of Amtorg is Peter A. Bogdanov, slight, soft-spoker l man who has not mastered English | thoroughly. In Russia he is reputeG to be shrewd business man and ar expert in chemistry and mining en. gineering. Before assuming tht chairmanship of the board of Am | torg, Bobdanov was head of the So viet supreme economic council ant | had supervision of the Grozny oi fields and the anthracite mines ir the Donetz basin.
 Through an interpreter Bogdano, talks glibly of international finance and the Soviet's problems.
 "The credit situation seems to mt to be in peculiar condition at pres ent," he said. Despite that, how ever the Soviet fiscal year whicf just closed, produced a record vol ume of trade between the U. S. R., and America. Once internationa credit is restored to sound basis think our trade will show ever more increases. Russia is not fac ing a famine; there is an ample do mestic grain supply. There may b' | Q shortage of meat in some sections but that is a problem of distribution rather than of supply"
 He courteously led the way t, the elevator, and naive reporte who had expected to see samovars fur boots and Volga boatmen, lief with the impression that he hat been talking to a group of American business men who were on the verg, of big deal.
 RED ACCUSES COPS