Evening star., 1946-03-27


American Navy.
Mr.. Bernard said the charge ac.
cused 1t. Redin of action "agains1
the peace and dignity of the Unitec
States of America"
He said the accusations were made
in Seattle on December %, l945, the
day 1t. Redin is charged with having
obtained the information. The war.
rant was issued last Friday
There was no announcement ol
how the young Russian officer hae
obtained the documents and plans
or whom the officer had induced" tt
obtain the information.
Details of the arrest were slow
developing. The FBI at first clampec
lid both here and at Portland
after the first brief announcement
at l0:30 o'clock last night.
1t was disclosed, however, that
the ship 1t. Redin was preparing
to board was a floating cannery
the SIS Alma Alta, which had under
gone year-long, s2,000,000 return.
ishing in the Oregon harbor ano
which repeatedly had been ready tt
sail for several weeks.
Assigned Hotel Room.
Later Mr.. Bernard reported that
1t. Redin came to Portland Tuesday
from Seattle and called at the Offices
Of the Soviet Purchasing Commis-
sion located in a brownstone man.
sion. He was assigned a hotel room
but apparently decided to board
the Alma Alta.
The ship has been lying at the
Columbia Basin terminal waiting
for a letter of credit to release a
load Of 100000 pounds of sisal rope
purchased by the Soviet govern
ment from the War Assets Corp
The necessary papers arrived Tues
day and loading of the vessel be-
gan Immediately. Agents halted
the Russian officer as he boarded
the vessel shortly after 8 pm.
1t. Redin, who became head ol
the Soviet Purchasing Commission
Office in Seattle after the staff was
SOl tdllCu az lllC Cllu OA tllC WdA
was described as active socially
among other Russians in Seattle
but little known to Americans there
His wife told Seattle reporters last
night she knew nothing about the
case. The couple has an infant
daughter.
Seattle neWsmen had a brush
with 1t. Redin only II days age
when the tanker Puente Hills
arrived with the survivors of the
wreck of the Russian tanker Don
bass.
Order Silences Women.
The reporters sWarmed aboard the
ship to interview survivors and the
Russian mother of a baby borr
aboard the Puente Hills. Lit Redin
prominent in his Soviet uniform
with starred shoulderboards, snap.
ped an order in Russian and tht
women members of the Donbas.
crew scurried to their cabins anc
the men refused to talk.
He told the protesting newsmer
the survivors were tired and coulc
not be interviewed He had boarded
the vessel when it entered Puget
Sound.
Mrs. Redin appeared astonishee
when advised of the report and wa!
anxious for further information.
Later, she said a Russian consular
agent told her the Soviet govern.
ment had already been informed o
the case, and would take what step.
it deemed necessary.
Appears Heartbroken.
| She said the agent told her h,
had been unable to find out on whar
specific charges 1t. Redin had beer
arraigned. aa
! Mrs. Redin appeared heartbroker
but maintained her husband mus
be innocent of spy activity
"Of course, Russians are Com.
munists," she said, but we are no
Reds and spies as the papers al
ways say"
She declared her husband hae
only attempted to do his duty here
Main Pacific Coast Offices of tn,
purchasing commission were located
at Portland during the war. i
was from there that some $1,782,.
000, 900 worth of lease-lend good'
were shipped to the Soviet Unior
for the war first against Germany
and finally against Japan.
! One of the main projects in tn.
$4,000, 10000 atomic bomb develop
ment is located in adjoining Wash
ineton State 1t is the mammoth
Hanford Plutonium Production
Plant. Plutonium is the elemen
used in the bomb.
IA Under Arrest in Canada.
/ Disclosure that Representative
| Woods House Committee was look
/ ing into reports of atomic spyinl
came early this month shortly afte
the Canadian government broke
its spectacular spy ring story
To Canadian charges that Russi
had been attempting to obtain secre
information, including atomic bonn
data, Moscow retorted that tn
things it had learned from Canada,
citizens were of no special interes
to Soviet authorities.
Il Fourteen persons, including
Communist member of Parliament
have been arrested in the Canada,
espionage case.
Mr.. Woods announcement said HI
committee has been conducting a
investigation for several months t
see if subversive forces are at wor
against the Government in con
nection with development of atomi
energy.
Primarily Foreign Attempt.
Information we have secure
shows decidedly that there are ef
forts being made to obtain infor
nation that the United States Gov
eminent hasn't authorized to
given out.
There are influences in thi
country trying to obtain this in
formation in an illegal way.
American people may be In
volved, but it is primarily a foreig