Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-08-12

Mrs. kdSenkInd 9TH
Has Police Guard
BY the Associated Press
NEW YORK, Aug. 12.-The
house is like hundred others lined
up row on row in Jackson Heights:
The same square of lawn, the same
tiny porch, the same windows,
the same four and a half rooms.
Inside, the living room has a
few personal snapshots, some re-
ligious pictures and statues. a
dime store glass-framed portrait
of movie hero.
There is nothing about the place
to suggest high international mel
odrama except the woman living
there-Mrs. Oksana Stephanovna
Kasenkina.
l. It was a year ago today that the
Russian school teacher jumped
from the third floor of the Soviet
Consulate in New York, rather
than return to her native land.
The leap touched off diplomatic
notes and protests, cut consular
ties between the United States
and Russia, and generally added
a few degrees Fahrenheit to the
cold war.
Concerned Over Communism.
Today, far from the headlines,
Mrs. Kasenkina lives in an ano-
nymity of sameness amply pro-
vided by the Jackson. Heights
residential section.
She does her housework in the
morning, rests or writes letters in
the afternoon, listens to Sinatra
or Crosby at night and exchanges
gossip with friends and neighbors.
She favors Stacks, wears her hair
up in the summer, likes the
movies, worries about Russia and
the Communists.
But, unlike that of her neigh
bors, Mrs. Kasenkina's concern
over communism is a very intense,
personal one. She remembers very
wildly the events of year ago.
When I think of them" she
says through an interpreter, II
think of the great contrast be-
tween my imprisonment in the
Soviet Consulate and my freedom
now. I always regard my leap as
the finale Of my tragedy of being
80 years under Soviet rule"
No Trouble From Russians.
Occasionally, Mrs. Kasenkina
reports. she dreams Russian
agents are following me-" How
ever, she no longer lives in fear.
In reality, she has had no trouble,
since year ago. with Russians,
Communists or Soviet agents, she
reports.
She attributes her lack of per-
sonal fear to the spiritual
strength she has gained since
being received into the Greek
Catholic Church last Christmas.
She also is very grateful for the
protection provided by the New
York Police Department.
At SO, Mrs. Kasenkina lives
alone but is rarely unprotected. A
detective has been assigned to her
every day, and. police squad car
circles her block at least 20 times
a day. -sis$ "a ~
Her husband. she says, was ar
rested by the Russians in 1887
and has been unheardssof since.
Her son died in the battle of Len
ingrads She believes the three
sisters she left behind in Russia
are either in a Siberian concen-
tration camp or already executed
because of my acts in this coun-
try"
Still Limps, Feels Pain.
Mrs. KaSenkina has almost
fully recovered from the painful,
multiple injuries she suffered in
her three-story plunge. She still
limps, however, and feels occa-
sional pain in her right leg.
Though she is intensely con-
vinced that this country needs to
awaken to the Red menace, she
retains a sense of humor about
Communists. She laughingly re-
calls that a few "cranks" mailed
her copies of the Communist
Daily Worker. This, after she
almost killed herself getting away
from the Communists.
Mrs. Kasenkina spent 80 days
in a hospital. Since then she has
written her memoirs Ito be pub
lished this falD and learned
some English. She is learning
more every day and has made
occasional speaking appearances.
She hopes to teach Russian here
after her command Of English is
better.
Feel Like I Belong"
although I already feel like I
belong here" she says, II am most
anxious to get my citizenship
papers"
Because of the special circum-
stances by which she was allowed
to remain here, Mrs. Kasenkina
explains, Congress will have to
pass a special bill making her
eligible for citizenship. She has
q lawyer laying the groundwork
for that.
Mrs. Kasenkina has learned
that money can 60 fast in this
country She WAS paid $45 900