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Show cdnsulVt cinoi Turns Over Duties to Swedish Consulate and Destroys Code Book as Final Precaution. Action Follows War on Entente; Berlin Government Gov-ernment Orders Finns to Fight in North. AMSTERDAM, Aug. 15. B:lt-ish B:lt-ish Wireless Press.) Soviet troops have begun to evacuate' Moscow. The gold reserves which had been in the basement of the Kremlin 'already have been removed to an unknown place. WASHINGTON, Aug. 14. Official dispatches dis-patches today from American Consul General Poole, in Moscow, lifted the cur- tain for a moment and revealed an amazing amaz-ing train of events in that city. Consul . General Poole, after witnessing 'tho violation of the French and, British .. . A':or.Bulatcs"ariT 'the arrests' of the consuls general and their staffs, destroyed his code book and papers and turned the affairs af-fairs of the American consulate over to the Swedish consul, at the same time demanding de-manding safe conduct from the country for himself and his associates. French and British citizens have been arrested and the Bolshevik! have announced an-nounced they would hold them as hostages because of the attack on the soviet government gov-ernment by British and French troops at Archangel. PROMISE OF SAFE CONDUCT VIOLATED. Members of the French and British military missions stationed in Moscow were refused permission to leave the country In spite of a previous promise of safe conduct. It is possible that since the sending of Consul General Poole's telegrams, which began on July 23 and continued until August Au-gust C, tho situation may have changed, because it is reported that Lenine and Trotsky, the Bolshevik leaders, haye fled and tho soviet government in Moscow may have been overthrown. Should tho situation be unchanged, the American consul general's action in turning turn-ing his office over to Sweden will not affect af-fect tho status of other American consuls in Russia, as they have been working with tiio local governments throughout Hussla where pro-ally feeling is strong. The story is told in sequence In the I state department's official announcement of its advices from Mr. Poole. It follows: "The department of state 1ms now received re-ceived several telegrams from Consul Genoral Poolo at Moscow, concerning re-cent re-cent events in that city. Following Is a ummary of them: 'nutate department makes story public. ' 'Ono of tho telegrams, similar in character to a previous message received through oilier channels, states that on July 20 Lent no declared repeatedly before nn of tidal gathering of the Soviets that a state of war existed between the Russian Rus-sian republic and the allied powers. Because Be-cause of tin's the diplomatic representatives representa-tives In Moscow of Great Britain and the consular representatives of France, Italy and tho United States, visited the commissariat com-missariat for foreign affairs and inquired if Lenine's declaration should not be considered con-sidered a declaration of war, involving the rupture- of de facto relations and the de-parturo de-parturo of the consuls. Tehitcherln said that it need not be so understood ; that it was a state of defense rather than a state- of war, and that the government desired to continue its relations with the eniento as it did with Germany under anaiagous circumstances. " 'The consuls demanded that to be acceptable any explanation must '.'e publicly pub-licly made by the head of the government himself. They also pointed out that the question was inseparable from that of the departure of tho members of the former military mission. After having agreed, to facilitate tho departure of these persons, in accordance with international law, the jovjrnment, they said, had raised ribso-inadmissible ribso-inadmissible objections. The for-;Tt for-;Tt representatives also stated that they ,uld not see in this attitude anvthing l.-it confirmation of Lenine's declaration yJ of the existenco of a state of war. Tchtt-' Tchtt-' cherin said tbat he would give a reply within three days. 'On tho night of August 2 a reply was (Continued oa Page Three.) AMERICAN C0 AT MOSCOW DEPARTS (Continued from Page One.) received from Tcbitcherin. It stated thai inasmuch as Lenine's utterances were made behind closed doors, in a meeting at which an agent of the allies could be present only owing to a special courtesv on the part of the soviet government, public explanations could not be given about non-public utterances. As to the members of the military missions, Tchit-cherin Tchit-cherin said thiit negotiations had been begun with the German authorities to procure pro-cure safe passage from Petrograd tc Stockholm for these officers, passage through Archangel being impossible because be-cause British cruisers had already begun the bombardment of the islands covering Archangel.' Arrests at Moscow. "A third report from Consul General Poole refers to the arrests of British and French citizens at Moscow. On the afternoon aft-ernoon of August 5 there was a conference confer-ence between Tchltcherin and the consuls general of Japan, Sweden and the United States, with the following results: "First, the soviet government gave solemn sol-emn assurances that allied persons having diplomatic or business of unofficial character char-acter would not be molested; second, Tchitcherin stated that the allied military missions would not be allowed to depart, as had already been promised; third, that civil persons arrested were hostages for the lives of soviet members in territory occupied by the allies. Tchitcherin said tliat these persons are civil prisoners, arrested, ar-rested, in accordance with the practices of war, for internment. He added that no responsibility could be assumed for their future safety because Great Britain and France had attacked Archangel without a declaration of war. Could Not Be Intimidated. "Mr. Poole stated that he was without knowledge of what had taken place in the north, but warned Tchitcherin that the peoples of the allied nations could not be intimidated and that the initiation of a system of reprisals by the soviet government gov-ernment could only result in individual members of the government being held personally responsible, and in the loss by the Bolshevik cause of whatever respect it might now have In the minds of the civilized world. "A fourth message from Mr. Poole, dated August 6, stated that the authorities authori-ties forcibly entered the consulates general gen-eral of France and England on the afternoon after-noon of the 5th and arrested the consuls general and their staffs. At 3 o'clock on the morning of the 6th, the consuls general and part of their staffs were released re-leased through the untiring good offices of the Swedish consul general. Mr. Poole stated that a guard remained around both consulates and would not permit British or French nationals to approach. Poole pointed out that these acts occurred immediately im-mediately following the solemn assurance given by Tchitcherin that all persons having hav-ing diplomatic or consular character would be respected. Destroyed His Codes. "Feeling that there were no assurances that the American consulate general would not be violated at any moment he destroyed his codes and records. This, and the general situation, made it impossible im-possible to carry on his functions and he accordingly asked the Swedish consul general to take over the protection of American interests and at tho same time to request facilities of the soviet government govern-ment for the immediate departure of the American diplomatic and consular staff. The allied consuls were doing likewise. "All steps were being taken for the security se-curity of private American citizens, who had not been molested so far. Mr. Poole added that departure would probably be by way of Petrograd and Stockholm. At the instance of the Swedish consul general gen-eral - the German embassy had already recommended to the German government the Issuance of the necessary safe conduct, con-duct, if No Assurance of Safety. "A fifth report stated that Mr. Poole had received from Norman Armour, secretary sec-retary of the American embassy, whom Mr. Francis left behind at Vologda when he went to Archangel, a telegram which stated that an assistant from Kedroff, commissioner of the people, had called to see him, and apparently representatives of other embassies, on the evening of August I. The emissary said that he had been instructed to ask the diplomats to go to Moscow, as the soviet authorities were unable to answer for their safety in Vologda. After expressing their thanks for the solicitude shown, Mr. Armour and his colleague referred the agent of the soviet to their express instructions from their ambassadors to remain in Vologda for the protection of their nationals and pointed out the impossibility of going to Moscow under any pretext whatever. "The American minister to Sweden has reported to the department of state that he had been informed by the Swedish foreign for-eign office that on August 5 the Swedish consul general at Moscow took temporary charge of American, as well as English and Japanese interests." |