861.00/3650: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Commission to Negotiate Peace
457. For the Secretary of State:
No doubt you have in mind in connection with the public statement in which the Allies offered to confer with all Russian factions,33 including the Bolshevik authorities, that the American Consul, Tredwell, at Tashkend is under arrest and confined in his house by action of the local soviet, apparently upon instructions from Moscow. You will recall that our efforts to secure his release began before you left Washington and have continued unremittingly without success. The Government of India which is holding three hostages until assured of the safety of a British subject has, on the suggestion of our Legation at Teheran, offered to release one hostage if the Tashkend authorities will release Tredwell, but the offer has not yet been accepted. I would suggest that you may wish to consider whether Tredwell’s release and restoration to complete freedom should not be an unconditional preliminary to American representatives being authorized to take part in any conference which will include representatives of the Bolsheviks.
In this same connection you will no doubt wish also to recall the case of Kalamatiano, a naturalized American, formerly in the employ of the American Consul at Moscow. Last October we were advised [Page 168] by Consul Poole that he had word that the Bolsheviks were trying to implicate Kalamatiano in the alleged conspiracy of the British and French. December 6th we received a formal notification through the Norwegian Government that Kalamatiano was accused as a spy for Consul Poole and condemned to death, and that the Bolshevik authorities were willing to let Kalamatiano go free only on condition that MacLean34 of England and Debs35 of America were released at the same time. Under date of December 7 we replied through the Norwegian Government as follows:
“This Government views with grave apprehension the threatened execution of Kalamatiano and must reply that if Kalamatiano is executed for reasons stated and investigation shows execution unlawful, this Government will insist that persons responsible for execution, shall be adequately punished for his assassination.”
Under date of October 5th36 Consul Poole had already advised us that he had tried to suspend Kalamatiano’s relatively innocent activities as early as September last. It would appear that this man was assisting the Consul in securing information regarding conditions in different parts of Russia, which were summarized by the Consul General at Moscow and telegraphed to the Department.
When Vice Consuls, Leonard and Burri were finally released after 72 days in prison37 and returned to Washington at the end of November, they reported they had left Kalamatiano in prison at Moscow, and that he had assured them that he was going to fight his own case as he was perfectly innocent of the counter revolutionary plots of which he was accused, and had confined his efforts to securing legitimate information for the Consul General; that he had been arrested on his way to the Consulate General at a time when he had certain papers and information regarding conditions in Russia, but was not engaged in any interference in the internal affairs of Russia.
I think the case of Tredwell is one of special importance because of his official position, and also because of the futility of our energetic and unremitting efforts to secure his release.
I have explained Kalamatiano’s case at greater length because he has no official status which might in some sense serve to shield him.