Monday, Jun. 27, 1927

International Repercussions

Citizens of almost every European state experienced last week distinct repercussions from the murder of Soviet Minister to Poland Peter Lazarevitch Vojkov at Warsaw (TIME, June 20).

In Poland. The Government of Polish Dictator Josef Pilsudski flatly refused last week, a demand by the Soviet Government that one of its agents be allowed to participate at the trial in Warsaw of Boris Kovenko, the confessed assassin of M. Vojkov. How dared small Poland thus flout great Russia?

Observers thought it certain that Polish Foreign Minister August Zaleski must have obtained strong assurances of support from France and Britain. This he did, presumably, at one of the secret sessions last week of the Council of the League of Nations.

Meanwhile, in Warsaw, Assassin Boris Kovenko declared to the Special Tribunal which sat upon his case: "I killed M. Vojkov, but I did not kill him as a person. I killed him because of what the Bolshevists have done in Russia."

The Court then heard evidence tending to prove: 1) that although 19-year-old Assassin Kovenko is now an anti-Communist he once served in the Soviet Army; 2) that his character is "highly excitable" but "entirely honorable."

The hearing proceeded from 10 a.m. until midnight, almost without a break. Then Assassin Kovenko was sentenced to life imprisonment, the Court, however, recommending that this be commuted to 15 years. In Moscow. Promptly, the Soviet Workers' Gazette, Moscow, headlined: "Unheard-of mild sentence, which Kovenko hears with beaming face. Murder for which the Polish Government is responsible covered by Polish court."

Editorially the Gazette said: "Behind this base action is hidden a hand which wanted Vojkov's blood to provoke a war and the sentence is a concession to the die-hard lunatics. Let the Poles remember it is dangerous to play with fire."

This was, of course, an allusion to the formal charges of the Soviet Government last fortnight that Britain means to launch war upon the Soviets and maintains "spies and assassins" throughout Soviet territory. Against this so-called "British terror" the Soviet continued its adroitly named "counter terror." A score of alleged "British spies" were reported sentenced to death in Russia last week, notably one "Commander Klepikov of a ship in the Baltic fleet, who sold information to the British for -L-10 ($48.60)."

In Britain. The British House of Commons echoed all week with questions & answers about Russia. Examples:

Robert Spear Hudson, M. P. (Conservative back-bencher): "I am sure the Government will wish to answer with a definite 'yes' or 'no' whether any of the unfortunate persons executed in Russia as 'spies' were in our employ."

Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs Godfrey Lampson Tennyson Locker-Lampson (crisply): "No."

Campbell Stephen, M. P. (Laborite) : "Do you say that the British Mission at Moscow employed no spies at all?"

Mr. Locker-Lampson: "Certainly not!"

George Buchanan, M. P. (prominent Laborite) : "Oh, what a lie!" Mr. Locker-Lampson (answering amid hubbub a Conservative question as to how relations with Rus sia may be resumed) : "The initiative should come from the Soviet Government, whose hostile activities compelled the British Government to suspend diplomatic relations. The Soviet Government know well that if they come forward with constructive proposals we shall be glad to consider them, but first they must abstain from propa ganda against this country." In addition to this sharp exchange in the Commons, excitement was manifest in British Communist circles last week when the Foreign Office refused to issue passports to five children, nominated by British Communist organizations to visit Russia as guests of the Moscow Congress of Russian Youth Pioneers.

Famed British Miner-Communist leader A. J. ("Emperor") Cook (TIME, May 10, 1926) promptly assembled "a mass meeting of protest," declared: "The Government's refusal to grant these passports to harmless, innocent children proves that it is preparing for war against Soviet Russia."

In Norway. At Oslo, Norwegian capital, the press generally voiced great indignation last week when the local Soviet Minister, Comrade

Makar, declared: "It is significant that the murder of Minister Vojkov occurred just after the rupture between England and Russia. There has not been one murder of a Soviet leader in which England has not played a dominating role."