ARREST OF RUSSIANS DENIED BY FRANCE

Chronicle (Levin), 15 December 1947, Page 5

ARREST OF RUSSIANS DENIED BY FRANCE

Received Xundav, 5.30 p.m. , ^ PARIS, Dec. 13. The French Foreign Oltice announced that the Soviet Embassv in Paris sent a Xote to the French Government protestirig against the arrest yesterday of Russian citizens in Alarseilles and Paris. Reuter. 's correspondent in Paris says Foreign Office otticials described tbe Xote as an "energetie protest. " It is learned reliably that the Xote demands the immediate release of an undisclosed number of Russian citizens arrested. The correspondent adds that since the beginning of November 43 Russians are reported to have been arrested or expelled from France, The First Secretary of the Russian Embassy (Alr. Starikov) said the French police were eontinuing provocative arrests of the Soviet citizens on baseless pretexts. The Russians arrested in Paris yesterday included the former eommandant of the Beauregard repatriation camp, a member ot the Soviet" Repatriation Alission and two chauffeurs attached to the mission, The arrests in Alarseilles and Paris totalled eight. A French Foreign Office spokesman said tlie new arrests were merely in execution of the Government 's decision to rid France of foreign persons known ! to be dangeroiis to France 's security and to have indulged in subversive activities. ■ A French Xote sant to the Russian authorities last night said the statements of violent treatment of Rnssian repatriates as alleged in the Russian Xote were withont foundation, France 's r'eply to the Russian Xote says the Russian citizens, about whose "arrest" Russia protestod, were not arrested but wero justifiably doported, They were members of the Russian Re^ patriation Arission and should have left France 011 December 9 at the same tiroa as Colonel Filatov, head of the mission, Tliev remnined in France, howover, contrary to the French decision (luly notified to Russia, and contrarv also to Russia 's own decision on December 9 terminating the mission and ordering its members to leave France.