SOVIET BRIBE.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1920, Page 5

SOVIET BRIBE.

MONEY FOR LONDON PAPER. MORE REVELATIONS. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright; Received Sept. 10, 7.15 p.m. London, Sept. 15. Further light is thrown on the realisation of Russian jewels in England by a statement published from Downing Street giving the lie direct to several assertions made by Kameneff. The Government says it has evidence that Kameneff was actively concerned in the realisation of jewels, and informed the Soviet that £40,000 worth were sold, and the' proceeds handed to the Daily Herald. Furthermore, it is reported that he is taking steps to procure a further £60,000, partly from jewels, of which an additional £IO,OOO would he paid to the Daily Iferaft. Referring to Kameneff's denial that he ever offered the Daily Herald a subsidy, and the latter's denial that it had received a sou, the Government states it has evidence flatly contradicting both statements. The Government, reviewing the Daily Herald's denials on the subject, says it has evidence that Mr. Edgar Lansbury, the sub-editor, had received part of the notes given for the jewels at the time the Herald encouraged an affirmative reply to its_ question, "Shall we take £75,000 of "Russian money?" The Government says it permits itself to doubt whether the Daily Herald would have taken the public into its confidence in this connection, but for the fact that it was aware that Mr. Edgar Lansbury had been invited by the police to explain how he came to possess some notes forming part of the price realised by the sale of jewels. The statement proceeds to point out that Kameneff makes no attempt to deny that he deliberately altered the termr of a despatch from .the Soviet containing a Polish armistice condition to the effect that they would insist on arming Polish workers under the control of representatives of the trade unions of Russia, Poland, and Norway. The Government asserts that kameneff concealed the Soviet's intentions under the apparently harmless phrase of civil militia. A remarkable feature of the disclosures is the excellence of the Government's investigatory agencies, which enabled it to keep closely informed of the whereabouts of the jewels, to whom they were sold, the particulars of the notes given in payment, and how they were traced through various hands, and the secret contents of the Soviet Government's message to its delegation in England. The Board of Directors of the. Daily Herald declined the offer of £75,000, and accepted the resignation from the board of Mr. Meynell, who negotiated the offer. The other directors adopted a resolution declaring that they had no knowledge of the offer—Reuter Service.