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Show BRITISH GIVE SEIZED RED SHIPS INTO CUSTODY OF FRENCH NAVY LONDON, March 29 (INS) Brushing aside Informal protests pro-tests by Soviet Ambassador Ivan Maisky, British authorities at Hong Kong Friday turned over to French custody two soviet steamers which had been detained at the British far eastern . contraband control station for more than two months. launching an anti-German blockade In Pacific waters. The 2492-ton Selenga was Intercepted Inter-cepted January 13 while carrying tin and antimony to Vladivostok. . British detention ef the vessels caused Ivan Maisky, Russian ambassador am-bassador to London, to lodge Informs! In-forms! verbal protests with Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax, who said the situation would be Investigated. The 22l-ton Vladimir Maya-kovaky Maya-kovaky was intercepted while en route to Vladivostok with copper loaded at Manianlllo, Mexico, and San Pedro, Cel. Britain newspapers charged yes terdsy that contraband goods from the United States were finding their way to Germany via Mexico and Russia. The London Daily Herald commented: Soviet sources In London asserted the French are pursuing an "anti-bolshevik "anti-bolshevik policy" and thus requested re-quested the British to detain the Russian ships. This move, announced by the' British ministry of economic warfare, war-fare, was regarded as a further indication in-dication of British determination to prevent further contraband shipments to Germany via the Russian Rus-sian port of Vladivostok the "back door" of the reich. It also constituted British defiance de-fiance of Russian demands thst the vessels be released snd lent color to recent speculation in London predicting early extension of sea warfare to the Pacific ocean. Shortly after the ministry's announcement an-nouncement a soviet spokesman claimed that the crew of one of the Russian vessels the Selenga had been placed aboard a French warship war-ship under arrest Observers la London noted that the Russian vessels were handed ever to French authorities within 34 hours of a conciliatory speech In Tokyo by Sir Robert Craigle, British . ambassador to Japan, declaring de-claring that Britain and Japan were seeklne the same objectives "lasting peace and preservation f our Institutions." While there was no offtrts! com- ment In London, it appeared that. the British government was seeking seek-ing to ronciliste Japan while |