AMBASSADOR LOCKED OUT.

Taihape Daily Times, 29 April 1918, Page 3

AMBASSADOR LOCKED OUT.

RUSSIA AT ST. JAMES'S. THE PEOPLE'S "EMBASSY." "LONDON, April 6. An interesting- .position arose last week with Tegard to the Russian "Embassy" to the Court of St. James's, Since the revolution a year ago there has been what was described in Parliament as a "delicate Foreign Office question" as to who really is ambassador for Russia. Although remaining on good terms with the Russian people, the British Government has been absolutely at a loss as to what to do in regard to the recognition of an ambassador. When the Bolsheviks rose to the surface a month or two ago they appointed to the post M. Litvinoff, who reached London as the representative of the Russian people's Government. The Foreign Office has, of course been unable to grant him full recognition, since it was obviously impossible to regard him as representing for the time being more than a faction in Russia, Lord Robert Cecil, replying to a question in the House, said that British action in regard tho the Russian envoys' —it will b© remembered that a previous nominee was released, from prison in England at the time of his appointment—was directed by fIW Home Office, and not by the Foreign Office; either they were the envoys of the foreign Government, or they were not. If they were they must behave like other envoys, and not try to in- ! tervene in the domestic affairs of Great Britain, as M. Litvinoff had done. He had taken an active part in matters entirely outside the province of an envoy, and the Smolny Government, which appointed him, made no secret of its hostility to Great Britain, and published attack after attack of the most violent kind. If the en- ' voys were going to advocate social revolution in this country it was the duty of the Government to protect the people against it, and not to treat the envoys either worse or better than natives of this country would be treated. When they arrived they were searched as a reasonable precaution, and a measure which would conciliate tho good opinion and respect of the Russians themselves. M. Kaminoff went back to Russia because the French Government would not admit him to France. It was an unusual thing for an envoy to come into a country with a cheque for £SOOO. Sir George Cave, to another ques--1 tioner, said that Litvinoff was not an ambassador, of any recognised Government in the world, and he came to England with the avowed object of engaging in revolutionary propaganda. If he had been under the conditions which regulate the conduct of ambassadors, he could not have remained for ten minutes in view of what he had done. He had issued manifestos of such a nature that they had to be seized and destroyed; he had interviewed many British soldiers and it was difficult for the Home Secretary to avoid taking action. The Home Office was most anxious not to embrass ithe Foreign Office, but there; must .be a limit to this conduct. Litvinoff had now given his promise to the Foreign Office not to engage in pro- I paganda. Nobody liked the methods I which had been applied, but if aliens landed here they must submit to the laws of the country _ It was mentinoed that Litvinoff had on a previous occasion in. England gone under the name of Harrison Litvinoff. and a well-known publishing firm admits having employed him as a junior clerk at 25s a week. On the day following this statement in Parliament M. Litvinoff arrived at his office in Victoria Street to find the doors locked and an agent of the landlord forbidding him to reenter. A crowd of Russian subjects, including some in Canadian uniform were waiting to interview, him, and he had to content himself with seeing them in the corridors. Later in the day he made an application in the High Court for an injunction against the landlord. It was stated that he had not carried out propaganda work at his offices,, though he had received i from his 'Government in \Russia, ja document for transmission to certain Labour representatives in this country His rent had been paid up for a quarter in advance when he took the offices on January 28. An interim injunction was granted, and the matter came before the court again on Monday, when Mr. Justice Neville continued the injunction, holding that Litvinoff was entitled to have the assistance of his staff and offices, provided he did not use them for propaganda purposes.