The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1946-03-04
BY JAMES R. YOUNG


The charges by the New York
Journal-American and columnist
Drew Pearson that the State De-
partmsnt has interfered with the
FBI arrest OF Soviet agents suspect
ed OF espionage activities, may well
be true.
have the details OF two OF the
most famous espionage cases In
Pacific Coast history in which a
Russian and a Japanese were res
cued from prison by the State De-
partment.
In the first case Mikhall Gorin'
Pacific Coast manager for the
Soviet travel agency, Intourist, was
Jailed In Los Angeles in December,
1888, with Hafis Salich, 80, Moscow
born but naturalised American.
Salich was educated in the Cath.
ollie boys school at Yokohama, ar
rived in Seattle, in 1928, worked
as a Y.M.C.A. physical education
instructor In San Francisco, as a
Berkeley, Calf, policeman, and fin
ally as a clerk in the U. s. Naval
Intelligence service. He had &C.
cess to information OF American
naval vessels and their disposition.
and to secret details Of japanese
plans for fighting the United
States. CORN lent Salich money
in return for the material.
John Manson and G. b. Dierst,
FBI agents, worked on the case two
years. CORN was arrested and &C.
cused OF transmitting documents,
writings and instruments import.
ant to U. s. national defense. CORN
and Salich were convicted on three
counts OF violating the 1917 Espion.
age Act. Gorin's salary as a tourist
agent was $274.30 monthly, yet he
eventually paid a cash fine OF $780,
600 and SLAB In court costs. His
wife, Natasha, charged with GER
tain connections with a Russian
Japanese spy ring, was acquitted.
In passing sentece, the Federal
Judge told CORN the court could
impose the death penalty II this
country had been engaged at war"
Upon arrest, Gorin's bail was set
at $4,000. Within two days three
Soviet agents flew from New York
City to Los Angeles to supply cash
bond, When the bond was doubled
after the conviction and pending an
appeal. the Moscow tourist agency
put up $4,000 in cash.
Donald X. Richberg, nationally
known attorney who had headed
the NRA, appealed Gorin's case to
the u. s. Supreme Court. Without
DISSENT the court confirmed the six
year sentence and fine.
CORN was freed through tho In.
PREVENTION OF our State Department
which urged the action because OF
certain important considerations OF
an international natur9." His re-
lease was grarted on condition that
he leave the country Immediately
which he did, taking a Swedish lin
er for Nladivostok.
The State Department. did moi
save Gorin's co-defendant, Salich
from a four-year sentence.
The background OF the case
showed that Japanese dope ped
dlers, diplomats and commercial
traders were involved with Russian
goodwill" aviators and engineers
at the Douglas Aircraft Co. plant
A barrage OF messages originating
from the State Department, chan
neled through the Justice Depart
ment, warned the U. S. assistant
district attorney, the late William
Fleet Palmer. to keep the CORN
case in strictest secrecy.
The press and public must not be
critical of Russia!
CORN, claiming diplomatic status
refused to submit to FBI arrest un.
I'll he telephoned the Soviet charge
d'affaires, Konstantln Oumansky,
in Washington. His phone calls in
dictated he was on a vital espionage
Job. Oumansky had been Soviet
ambassador to Tokyo. He was
killed last year in a Mexican air.
plane crash, not long after he had
reopened his governments embas-
sy following a 13-year break in
Mexican-Ru relations due to
Soviet political and spy activity, a
parallel OF the recent Canadian
charges.
l have been puzzled by the size
able Soviet STATS in foreign capt.
tails. About $50 diplomatic" agents
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