Evening star., 1946-03-09
u. S. Officer Reported on Way
ToOpen Monchuriu Consulate


were freed from SO hours OF deten.
ton, which amounted to hotel ar
rest. But, "the freedom of Chang
chun" granted us was even more
restricted than the freedom oi
Mukden," which we received after
81 hours detention in that city
In both cities we were confined
under tommygun-armed guard to
the modern hotels of Yamoto and
China, now renamed Intourist, and
run by Soviet hotel directors brought
in from Russia.
Here, however, we have not re-
ceived the same cordial official
treatment as that accorded by the
genial Mukden garrison command
er. Maj. Gen. Andrei Kovtoun-
Stankevitch.
In both cities our detention has
been based on the ground that we
came without permission. Actual
ly, however, we acted in good faith
on the strength of an announce
ment in the Moscow newspaper
Pravda declaring that American and
British correspondents would not be
barred from any Manchurian cities.
The garrison commanders in Muk-
den and Changchun, however, both
declared that they had no knowl-
edge of the Moscow declaration and
would have to confine us until they
got permission for our release. 1t
is not clear whether this permission
came direct from Moscow, or from
Marshal Malinovsky.
Frosty Interview with General.
The freedom of Changchun was
given us in a frosty interview with
the cold-eyed, Prussian-type COM
mandant of Changchun, Maj. Gen.
Fedor v. Karlov, whose name we
had to get from the Chinese, since
he himself refused to divulge it
when we talked to him. He returned
our Identification cards and pass
ports with the observation that they
were satisfactory"
Then he said that we were free
to go anywhere except to Red Army
organizations" We were further
restricted, however, from visiting
Harbin, or elsewhere in the north,
without first obtaining Soviet gov
ernment press permission, he said.
"Changchun is the frontier" he
noted without explanation.
Gen. Karlov rose abruptly to dis.
miss us. Then he delivered himself
Of final studied discourtesy. The
cars which had brought us to his
headquarters would not be available
to take us back, he said. We were
left to our own devices to make the
two-mile trip back to the hotel in
subzero weather. AS we left head
quarters we noted the unavailable
cars standing idle while further
transportation in the form of
American lease-lend jeeps buzzed
past us unconcernedly.
Gen. Karlov had told us that
Marshal Malinovsky was ''too busy
to see us for "two or three days.
However, on learning of a press re-
lease by Marshal Malinovsky Feb
ruray 26, which complained of "mis-
information" in the American news
papers, we decided today to go
direct to his headquarters and seek
an interview. We hoped for an
opportunity at least to get an off,
cial copy Of the release, rather than
to depend on the translation in the
Chinese press. And we wanted to
talk to Marshal Malinovsky to get
the Russian side of the Manchurian
story and to correct any "misinfor-
nation" he could document as such.
Marched to Karlov's ONCE.
We rode up to the outskirts of
headquarters in droshkys. A sentry
halted up and then called the cap
tain of the guard, who invited us
into the warm guardhouse out of
the extreme Manchurian cold while
he telephoned our request to head
quarters across the road. After
about an hours wait, young lieu
tenant appeared and marched us
about a mile down broad Tatune
avenue to the Office of Gen. Karlov.
We had a few minutes delay be-
fore we were taken to Gen. Karlov.
The lieutenant colonel watching us
lent a comic-opera touch by calling
soldier to erase chalk sketches
from a blackboard. This sketch ap-
peared to be of an elementary tao
tical operation involving the taking
Of a couple Of hill positions.
Gen. Karlov received us with a
sharp reprimand. Yesterday" said
he, II warned you not to enter Red
Army organizations. Despite my
warnings you were found in such
an area. Since you have disobeyed
this order, you have been brought
before the commandant again. II
there is one more violation it is my
duty to inform you that will be
compelled to issue administrative
orders against you, sending you
away from Changchun, back to
South China districts"
One correspondent protested that
we had come here with good will
and -. friends Of Russia, but that