~ 92

on the White Sea, England and America that have been actually detained
 in England, it appears that the English authorities force the crew
to land and hoist the English flag.
3) According to the report made by the captain of the ship «laroslavl»
 it appears that so soon as the ship neared Dundee the captain of
the said ship received a communication from the Senior Naval Officer
to the effect that, according to the convention made between the English
 Government and that of Russia, the above mentioned ship would
be transferred to the disposal of the British Government. Again, the
crew received orders to land and the English flag was hoisted in lieu of
the Russian flag.
The, English Authorities who took part in the seizure of the mentioned
 ships in support of their action insisted before the Agent of the
Russian Voluntary Fleet on the military convention of 1916 made between
 England and Russia. The Commissariat for Foreign Affairs therefore
 begs to point out to the English Mission that the reference made
by the English Military Authorities to the Russo-British Convention of
L916 concerning the-said seizures is illegal, as, the state of war between
Russia and the Powers of the Central Europe having come to a close,
the said treaty, the motives and aims of which no longer exist, becomes
legally annulled and cannot be further applied without such application
being considered as a violation of neutrality.
The People’s Commissary for Foreign Affairs, TCHITCHERIN.

Traduit du Russe. .
A Monsieur Poole, Consul Général des Etats-Unis d”Amérique.

- 14 Juin 1918.

Le Commissariat du Peuple aux Affaires Etrangères se permet de
prier le Consul Général Américain à Moscou d’attirer l’attention dn
Gouvernement des Etats-Unis de l’Amérique du Nord sur le fait que
le séjour de bâtiments de guerre de Puissances belligérantes dans les ports
de la République Russe, étant donné la faculté qu’ils ont en tout temps
de gagner la mer pour des buts militaires, ne peut être reconnu comme aamissible
 par le Gouvernement Russe. Le Commissariat du Peuple exprime
 la pleine confiance que le Gouvernement des Etats-Unis de l’Amérique
 du Nord, qui a donné tant de preuves de ses dispositions amicales
envers la République Russe, prendra en considération l’obligation dans
laquelle se trouve la Russie et en tiendra entièrement compte.
Le Commissaire du Peuple aux Affaires Etrangères,
G. TCHITCHÉRINE.