Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-13
Six Days Put Unknown Teacher
Into Center of Diplomatic Issue
Mrs. Kosenkino, 81,
First Broke Into News
In Kidnapping Case
BY the Associated Press

~ WV S'9SeiS'SS iiNSs
NEW YORK, Aug. 13.-Until
last Saturday no one in Amer
lea except a handful of Russian
consular workers and Russian
school children had eyer heard
of Mrs. Oksana Stepanovna
KoSenkina.
But in the last six days the 81
year-oid school teacher has become
the center of an international incl
dent.
Moscow and Washington have
taken note of her She has been the
pivot of struggles between Commu-
mist and anti-Communist Russians.
between the American courts and
Russian diplomats. The FBI, the
State Department and Congress
have concerned themselves with her
activities.
The woman herself had remained
behind the scenes, the unknown fac
tor in the drama, until she plunged
from a third-story window of the
Russian consulate yesterday At
Roosevelt Hospital, where she lies
critically hurt, she still is a mystery
Here is the six-day sequence of
events in her life:
Saturday:
Police in C4erkstown, N. Y, were
told to hunt for a Russian woman,
reported kidnapped" from a White
Russian farm retreat at Valley Cot
tage, N. Y.
Later. it was revealed car from
the Russian consulate in New York
went to the farm and drove away
with a woman, identified as Mrs.
KoSenkina.
In New York. Russian Consul
General Jakob Lomakin held a news
conference. With a woman identi-
fled as Mrs. Kosenkina sitting be-
side him in the consulate, he said
she had been rescued" after the
White Russians kidnapped" her.
But at Valley Cottage. Alexandra
Tolstoy, operator of Reed Farm, the
Communist retreat. said. Mrs.
KoSenkina came there willingly, be-
cause she didn't want to be sent
back to Russia.
A little later, In Washington,
Representative Mundt, Republican,
of South Dakota, at that time acting
chairman of the House Committee
on Un-American Activities. said
Mrs. Kosenkina was wanted to testi-
fly before the committee.
Sunday:
Mrs. Kesenkina remained unseen
at the consulate. while another
teacher from the school for Russian
diplomats children took the spot
light. He was Michael Ivanovitch
Samarine, who walked into the FBI
office and asked to be interviewed.
Monday:
MIR. Samarine kept the spotlight.
The consulate asked New York City
police to hunt for him, and he was
reported to be hiding at a White
Russian retreat in New Jersey. But
Mrs. Kosenkina stayed out of sight
at the consulate. Police, at the
request of the consul, began an in
vestigation of whether she had been
kidnapped by the White Russians.
In Washington, Mr. Mundt ap-
peared to have abandoned his at
tempt to get her as a witness. He
said diplomatic complications had
interfered.
Tuesday:
The State Department ruled that
the House Committee could subpoe-
ma Mrs. Kosenkina. But-as long.
as she stayed in the consulate, the
State Department said. the commit
tee couldn't serve the subpoena.
The consulate had immunity against
everything but a warrant based on
suspicion that a crime had been
committed
New York police tried to get into
the consulate to interview Mrs.
Kosenkina, but were turned away.
Wednesday,:
Common Cause, Inc. an organ
ization which said it is trying to
arouse Americans to the danger of
Communism, sought a writ of
habeas corpus in the State Supreme
Court to get Mrs. Kosenkina out of
the Consulate.
The Soviet Consul General, served
with the writ, Immediately an
nounced he would not produce the
school teacher in court
The State Department kept silent
on whether the Russian consul had
to obey the order of the State Court.
Justice Samuel Dickstein was
quoted as saying that, if necessary.
he would get the sheriff to seize Mrs.
Kosenkina and bring her to courts
Yesterday:
Mr.. Lomakin was due to bring the
teacher into court at 1890 am.
BY ll:20 am neither Mr.. Iona
kin nor Mrs. Kosenkina had ap-
peared.
In Washington the Russians had
protested to the State Department
against the court order. h
I The State Department said 1t SD