Nations, in their dealings with each other, do not always employ subtlety, An open breach of official relations between governments is always a sign either that one of the countries has committed a breach of confidence, or that one of them, for secret purposes of its own, is trying to pretend that the other has offended it.

Premier Baldwin's brief speech to the House of Commons on Tuesday left little doubt as to whether Britain or Soviet Russia had committed the breach of confidence. A police raid on Soviet House in London secured conclusive evidence that the Russian trade officials, under cover of commercial activities, had used their facilities as a center for the Red International, that vaguely sinister organization devoted to military espionage and subversive activities throughout the Empire, and North and South America as well. Communist agitators were trained on ships of the Russian trading companies with a view to subsequent service on British vessels. The entire Soviet headquarters seems to have been what writers of mystery stories refer to as a "hot-bed of intrigue."

What effect, if any, the break will have on Senator Borah and others who advocate American recognition of the Soviet remains to be seen. As far as the general public is concerned, however, it can have but one result; to strengthen the feeling that the Russian Government is not yet to be trusted. The post-war flurry of the "Bol-shevist menace", with other absurdities of the time, has passed; but the mysterious motives of the Soviet Union have not yet been brought to light. The United States, as things stand at present, does more business with Russia than England has been doing with the facilities she afforded the agents of Moscow; and it would seem better to trade ex officio with a viper than to give him headquarters in the official bosom.