THE SOVIET UNION’S BITTER ENMITY AGAINST HER WHITE RUSSIAN EMIGRES THREATENED TONIGHT TO CANCEL ALL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE HERETOFORE GIVEN REFUGEES BY THE NANSEN OFFICE, THE HAVAS NEWS AGENCY REPORTED.
WHAT AMOUNTED TO A SHOWDOWN TOOK PLACE AT TODAY’S MEETING OF THE LEAGUE’S STANDING COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL AFFAIRS WHEN SWISS PRESIDENT GIUSEPPE MOTTA, ACTING AS REPORTER, SUBMITTED A SERIES OF RESOLUTIONS TO INSURE CONTINUATION OF REFUGEE RELIEF.
ALL THE PROPOSED MEASURES WERE DEPENDENT UPON THE ALLOCATION OF 104,000 SWISS FRANCS (ABOUT $14,000) TO THE NANSEN OFFICE. THE SOVIET DELEGATE, WHO HAD ALREADY DECLARED HIS GOVERNMENT’S OPPOSITION TO THIS GRANT, ROSE TODAY TO REJECT THE MOTTA RESOLUTIONS, DECLARING MOSCOW REFUSED TO HELP CONTINUE THE ACTIVITY OF RUSSIAN REFUGEES.
MOTTA, WHO EVIDENTLY HAD EXPECTED SOVIET OPPOSITION, SIGNIFICANTLY PREFACED HIS SUBMISSION OF THE RESOLUTION WITH THE REMINDER THAT “EVERY POLITICAL CONSIDERATION SHOULD BE BANISHED” IN CONSIDERING THE MEASURES. THE LATVIAN DELEGATE JOINED BORIS STEIN, MOSCOW’S REPRESENTATIVE, IN REFUSING HIS VOTE, HOWEVER. INASMUCH AS UNANIMITY IS NEEDED, THE RELIEF RESOLUTIONS WERE DOOMED.
VISCOUNT CRANBORNE, SPEAKING FOR BRITAIN, ENDORSED THE PROJECTED MEASURES AND URGENTLY APPEALED FOR A SOVIET CHANGE OF HEART. SALOMON GRUMBACH OF FRANCE ENTERED A SIMILAR PLEA, REMINDING STEIN THAT SOVIET FOREIGN COMMISSAR MAXIM LITVINOV HIMSELF HAD TOLD THE ASSEMBLY THAT THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS WAS DESIGNED TO PERMIT ALL REGIMES TO LIVE IN PEACE.
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