ARCOS BACK.

Shannon News, 15 October 1929, Page 2

ARCOS BACK.

SOVIET IN LONDON. (Sun Special.) LONDON, Sunday. The large Union Jack fluttering ia the breeze over Bush House, adjoining Australia House, yesterday seemed thoroughly innocent of its peculiar significance concerning the (proceedings below, where a lively though not bellicose, Russian revolution is occuring. The Areos Company, the great Russian trading concern, is again invading London, having taken six floors in the new wing of Bush House. Dozens of members of the staff were carrying papei’3 and office articles through the corridors, while others were bringing in five tons of elaborate furniture.

The return of Areos, coinciding with the proposed resumption of Anglo-Rus-sian diplomatic relations, is recorded by a formidable indicator board cn the ground floor, showing that the firm will occupy 22 departments, all Areos interests being centralised instead of spread out over the city as hitherto.

On May 12, 1927, the premises in Margate Street, occupied by Areos, Ltd., and the Russian Trading Agency, were raided, a cordon of police standing shoulder to shoulder round the building preventing any entrance or exit. The heads of the concern refused to /haVid over the keys of the strongrooms—huge affairs of steel and reinforced concrete—so several days were occupied in cutting them open. Within were found documents and other matter of such a nature that most of the staff were promptly deported and diplomatic relations with Russia were broken off. Among the documents found were references to Communist activities in Australia.