Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-24
|SenatorsAsk
For Expulsion

Star stan Correspondent

Senate investigators urged the
Sta tie Department today to
throw out of this country
Arkady Sobolev, chief Soviet
delegate to the United Nations,
and one of his top subordinates.
The Senate Internal Security
Subcommittee made the request
in accusing Sobolev's staff OF
using coercion, force and duress'
in an effort to induce nine
Russian sailors to return to Their
Communist homeland after OBJ
tanning asylum in this country.
Five of the sailors suddenly
left New York by plane on
April 7, under Soviet escort. Dis
patches from Russia quoted them
as saying they went home volun-
tarily. Four associates who re-
main here said they were coerced.
State Department Rebuked
The subcommittee rebuked the
State Department and the I'm
migration Service, saying they
failed to take effective action to
protect the youthful sailors from
being whisked out of this country
1t said there were no realistic
efforts to learn whether duress
was used on the sailors and that
unjustif1ed concessions were
made lin response to Soviet
presSures and turbulence"
Secret testimony made public
by the subcommittee as part of
its report disclosed Government
officials learned of the seamen's
impending return to Russia the
night before but concluded there
was no evidence then to warrant
blocking their departure.
The five seamen were among
nine crewmen of the Soviet
tanker TuapSe. who were granted
asylum in this country last Oc-
tober after their ship, bound for
Red China with load of jet
fuel, was captured by Chinese
Nationalist on Formosa.
Two Already Expelled
In recent hearings the sub
committee heard testimony from
the four crewmen still here and
from others indicating that the
five who "redefected" to the
Soviet Union were kidnapped by
Soviet agents.
The subcommittee urged the
expulsion of Sobolev and Kon-
Stantin Ekimov. First Secretary
of the Soviet United Nations
delegation.
On April 25 the United States
declared two lower ranking
of the Soviet U. N. dele
cation whose activities on be-
half of the five seamen were
termed particularly objection
able" as persona non grata and
they were expelled from this
country.
In the same note. the State
Department protested Sobolev'S
conduct but did not demand his
recall.
Ambassador Henry Cabot
Lodge. jr.. chief United States
delegate to the U. N, has adj
vised Senator Eastland, Demo-
crat of Mississippi, subcommittee
chairman. that he has filed
protests with the United Nations
secretary general.
Red China Bid for U. N. Seat
The report recommended that
the State Department keep the
incident of the seamen in mind
IN connection with what it
termed the forthcoming Soviet
campaign to seat Red China in
the United Nations and gain for
her diplomatic recognition"
1t said Chinese Communist
ENJOYS here would be a menace
ito the large Chinese American
communities in the United
States"
The subcommittee made public
testimony taken secretly from a
State Department official and an
immigration Service officer,
neither of them named, on the
course decided upon when it was
learned the seamen were about
to redefect.
The State Department official
said I'VE were told by various
authorities that there was no
direct evidence" of coercion or
duress which could be used for
criminal action"
Room in wild Disarray"
The immigration Service off,
Ger said each of the seamen was
interviewed separately at the
airport while Sobolev was kept
at a distance.
Subcommittee Counsel Robert
Morris, questioning the Immi-