Evening star., 1939-09-25
Turkish Minister
Also 10 Participate
In Important Talks
Soviet Is Believed
Aiming to Close
The DordoneIIes
n the Associated Press,

~ the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, Sept. 25.-Soviet Rus
STA, with her position vitality
strengthened in the first weeks of
war, opened commercial and dip
lomatic talks today with her
northern neighbor, Estonia.
Details of conversations between
Soviet officials and Estonia's For
eign Minister Karl Setter were not
disclosed, but significance was at
tached to the fact that Turkish
envoy would come here closely after
the arrival of Setter.
The conference started as Russia
banned foreign ships from travel
ing the River Neva, which flows
into the Baltic. The little Baltic
country which Setter represents was
Russian territory before the World
War.
The ban on the River Neva, 40
mile stream which connects Lake
Ladoga with the Gulf of Finland,
was said to have included Finnish
ships. A Russo Finnish agreement
in 1923 gave the Soviet authority to
close the waterway to Finnish ships
IN case of war danger"
May Close Dardanelles.
Sukru Saracoglu, Turkish foreign
minister, was expected tonight or
tomorrow. Diplomatic circles point
ed out that the Soviet had tremen-
dous bargaining power over Turkey
now that Germany and Britain-her
strongest rivals for Turkish trade
were engaged in war.
Foreign circles expected Russia
to seek a guarantee from Turkey to
close the Dardanelles to any ship
opposed to Russian interests. Clos
ing of the Black Sea to European
merchantmen would give the Soviet
special trading privileges.
In return. diplomatic sources said,
the Soviet Union might give Turkey
guarantees against German attack.
Diplomats speculated on the pos
sible effects these talks might have
on British relations since
Turkey has not signed defensive
treaty with Britain.
Many Prisoners Taken.
Red troopers reported taking many
Polish prisoners and arms as they
pushed to within about IS miles of
Warsaw, occupying much of the ter
ritory formerly held by the with
drawing German Army.
A general staff communique on
Yesterdays operations said the Rus
sian forces continued to advance
toward the demarcation line, hav-
ing occupied the towns of Seiny
(Seuny), Augustov (Augustow) and
Grubeshov (Hrubieszow); they
reached the line of Augustov-
Knyshin (Knyszyn Bryansk
(Bransk) -Rasno tRasna-about 25
miles northwest of Brest-Litovsk) :
Pischchats Piszczac-about II miles
southwest of Brest Litovsb -Lyu-
bonn Grubeshov Unuv (Uhnow) =
Lanuv (about II miles northwest OF
Lwow)
"Komarno, Drogobych Oroho-
bycz) and Beryslav were occupied
southwest of the town of Lwow.
Soldiers Disarmed.
Continuing to clear the territory
OF Western Byelo-Russia white
Russia) and Western Ukraine OF
remnants of the Polish Army, Red
Army troops in the course of liquida
ton of a group of Polish troops
southeast of Brest-Litovsk Fortress
disarmed and took prisoner more
than 10000 soldiers and officers
and in the area south and south
east of Grubeshov took prisoner
an infantry regiment and troops
of a mechanical brigade"
The return of wounded Soviet
soldiers to Moscow, however, in
dicated the Poles still were putting
up fight.
Little time is being lost in at
tempting to Sovietize the newly
acquired area. The program, it
is said, includes a campaign against
landlord and capitalist classes. Re-
ports reaching here say peasants
are occupying country estates of
former Polish landowners, and that
horses, tools and land are being
divided among them