701.6111/363 a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Commission to Negotiate Peace
2197. For the Secretary of State:
In response to my inquiries, London police have just ascertained that L. A. Martens, Bolshevik representative at New York, registered on August 9, 1914 as a German subject, born in Russia of German parents, and that he left England for the United States about December 21, 1915. If this report is properly and adequately confirmed I would like authority to secure deportation of Martens as an undesirable alien and enemy citizen, authority for deportation to include other alien assistants, including Santeri Nuorteva, head of Soviet Information and Propaganda Bureau under Martens. Matter is especially brought to your attention because Martens and his associates are conducting energetic propaganda. Martens has made speeches in New York, Chicago and other places urging trade relations [Page 145] with Soviet Russia. His offices in the World’s Tower Building, New York, are circularizing American business men offering attractive opportunities. I am told the plan is that the Bolshevik representatives at New York upon signing of proposed contracts, are prepared to deposit full amount of contract price in New York banks and will make payment on shipment of 10% or other comparatively small proportion of goods called for by the contract. For example, in the last few days Congressman Porter, Republican Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, brought one of his constituents to me who had received an attractive offer along lines above described. Both Mr. Porter and his constituent, a shoe manufacturer of Pittsburgh agreed fully with explanation of the situation I gave them. We discussed freely the clever and insidious character of such offers and the effect they are naturally having among American business men who may be without full information of actual situation. The purpose of such offers is obviously to bring pressure to bear on the administration to be drawn into trade relations with and ultimately recognition of the Soviet Government.
I am also informed by the Editor of the Russkoe Slovo, the leading liberal Russian paper in New York, that Martens’ office is responsible for an indirect boycott of his publication by intimidating proprietors of news stands who sell his paper in various parts of the country.
No doubt under expert advice of Morris Hillquit, whom Martens has engaged as legal adviser, his activities thus far appear to be within the law.
I have issued two press statements: One on April 26th warning American business men that any concessions secured in Russia from the Bolshevik authorities would probably not be recognized as binding on future Russian Governments; and a second May 6th, stating that extreme caution should be exercised as to representations made by any one purporting to represent the Bolshevik Government, in view of the fact that the United States has not recognized either Mr. Martens or the Russian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic he claims to represent.
It might be well to authorize the deportation of Martens under conditions I have suggested and also to issue a statement to the press that this Government is convinced by its experience of the last twelve months that it is impracticable to carry out its frequently declared purpose of assisting the Russian people to control their own affairs, by dealing with the Bolshevik régime at Moscow and that, consequently it is not only impossible to recognize that Government but also now to sanction commercial transactions with the representatives of the Bolsheviki.