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Because the Soviet Government is not strong enough to risk military operations against militant little Poland, the Soviet note to Warsaw last week breathed only very hot air. The Polish Government was "held responsible" for the murder of Comrade Vojkov —but Poles knew that that would mean nothing unless real threats should follow. To prevent this, the Polish Government made a great show of arresting possible "accomplices" of the murderer. Five well-known "White Russians" were jailed at Warsaw, 29 at Vilna; and although it was not shown last week that they knew anything whatever of the crime, the fact that they were undoubtedly in jail eased the tension between Russia and Poland materially. Then came a startling new development.
In Moscow, at 2 a. m. (41 hours after the murder), the Soviet Government suddenly released a proclamation figuratively aimed over the head of Poland squarely at Great Britain.
This document, probably without precedent in the annals of nations nominally at peace, read:
"In connection with the heartless murder of Comrade Vojkov this government considers it necessary to publish a number of other facts clearly characterizing the work of the British government and its vassal agencies in the territory of the Soviet Union. . . . Early in the summer of 1925 . . . Sidney George Reilly, a well-known English investigator, captain in the royal aviation corps . . . was wounded and arrested by frontier guards while attempting to cross the Finland-Soviet frontier illegally. . . .
"Mr. Reilly testified later that he came to the Soviet Republic for the special purpose of organizing plots and riots. Moreover, Mr. Reilly testified that . . .Winston Churchill, one of the most responsible ministers of the British King, personally gave him instructions for organizing terrorist and other acts. His written and signed testimony is in the hands of our government. His evidence led to further arrests which confirmed his testimony."
The Soviet proclamation then cited a long list of "plots" allegedly fomented by British agents, notably one "Gurevitch, son of a tradesman and also chief of a bourgeoisie detachment of Boy Scouts [who] organized a plot against Comrades Rykov and Stalin."*
Furthermore: "At the end of May, in Leningrad, a fireproof warehouse for explosives was set on fire. The Esthonian superintendent of the building was working under the orders of Esthonian agents of the British government. Previously the factory of Dubrovka near Leningrad was set on fire. A Finn was the incendiary working under the orders of Finnish agents of the British government."
The Soviet proclamation concluded: "Thus, it is quite evident that the British government is rapidly preparing for war against the Soviet Republic and endeavoring by every measure and means to violate the peaceful laboring men and peasants of our country.
"The government therefore orders the state political control to adopt decisive measures to guard the country from spies, incendiaries, murderers and their Tsarist and white allies."
This final threat had teeth; for the Soviet Secret Police struck, immediately, at "White Russians" in Russia.