FRANCE AND THE SOVIET

Evening Star, Issue 19664, 17 September 1927, Page 4

FRANCE AND THE SOVIET

PROSPECTS OF RUPTURE ALARM IN RUSSIA. Preit Awociation—By Telegraph— Copyright LONDON. September .16. The Soviet Is alarmed by the prospects of a break with France, following the break with Britain. M. Litvino, interviewed by the British United Press at Moscow, declared that the instigators oh the, antiSoviet campaign in France must bo regarded as the instjgators of a world conflagration. “ Only a knave or conscious trickster would believe that the campaign is directed against M. Rakoviky. It is a mere pretext for the reactionaries to disrupt the debt settlement. Negotiation on this question was Solved recently to the satisfaction of both parties through a scheme for the payment of (30,000,000 gold francs yearly ,by the Soviet for the benefit of holders of worthless Russian paper. The scheme includes credits for Soviet .orders to French factories.. It is not mere chance that the campaign against the Soviet, began, in Franco two days after a settlement was reached. There can be no question of any agreement regarding the claims for payment d diplomatic relations are made worse or ruptured. It is clear that the break between Britain and Russia was a merciless threat to peace, and a break between France and Russia would increase |tho danger. COMMUNISM ATTACKED. M. MILLERAND'S VIEWS. PARIS, September 15. Ex-President Millerand, who is contesting tho senatorial by-eleotion at Orne. opened his campaign by strongly attacking the Communists. He described the Soviet Embassy at Paris as the headquarters of revolution, and demanded the Government to eject M. Rakovsky and recall the Ambassador from Moscow. Only such a rupture could strike Communism, otherwise France would be the dupe of Europe, which would be happy to escape the difficulty by replacing M. Rakovsky with another Communist. The Government. after a declaration that Communism was an enemy, must, act determinedly. He added that tho Locarno Treaty was vitiated, because Franco regarded agreements as a means of consolidating the new Europe. Germany believed that they enabled the upsetting of Europe, but she could not lay hands on Alsace-Lorraine, .the Danzig corridor, or Upper Silesia without setting the world on fire. France must remain strong in erder to remain respected.