Justice said this afternoon in a formal statement. lt was said that the gold was sent here for commercial purposes which were per- fectly legitimate and with the approval of the United States officials. Various rumors have had it that the gold had been shipped into the United States by the Soviet Government of Russia and would be used to pay for propaganda in this country. ' The first intimation of the shipment came last week when the Federal Reserve Board announced that it had arrived from an unknown source and to an unknown consignee. The statement made today by the Department of Justice reads: “After full investigation, the Department of Justice finds that the recent shipment of gold totaling $339,636 from Russia to the United States was shipped from Reval and imported into the United States by commercial agents for the Esthonian Government for an entirely proper com- mercial purpose and with the knowledge and consent of the proper United States Government officials.” New York Times, April 2, 1921 FEARS SOVIET GOLD COMES FROM ALLIES. Local Assay Office Asks for Ruling on Shipments from England and France. MAY REQUIRE AFFIDAVITS METAL BARS BEING RECEIVED HERE HAVE NO GOVERNMENT MARKINGS. FLOW MAY BE CURTAILED Fear that a considerable portion of the gold which is coming to this country from England and France may be of Russian origin has caused officials of the local United States Assay Office to apply to the authorities at Washington for a ruling as to whether all gold tendered to the Assay Office must be accompanied by affida- vits of ownership and origin. If the rule is given that these affida- vits must, be made, it is believed possible that the flow of gold to this country will be decidedly curtailed, for it is understood that few bankers here care to put their signatures to the documents. For several months the Assay Office on instructions from Washington has been declining to accept gold known to be of Russian origin, and in cases where a suspicion exists that the metal may have come from Soviet territory, an affidavit declaring the gold not to be of Russian origin is required. The only exception to this rule is gold coming here in the form of bars bearing the official stamp of the Royal Swedish Mint. This gold is generally regarded y