British Trade Commissioner

Anglophobia at Moscow, capital of Soviet Russia, received yet another boost from the Marquis Curzon, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

The Soviet Government proposed to recall M. Leonid Krassin, Soviet Trade Commissioner in London, and replace him with M. Christian Rakovski, one time associate of Foreign Minister Georges Tchicherin. The change was to all intents and purposes completed (TIME, Aug. 13), when Lord Curzon demanded that M. Rakovski's departure from Moscow should be delayed pending investigations into some of his anglophobe utterances.

The latest Curzon anti-Bolshevik move caused the thermometer of public opinion to rise well over " blood heat." Nevertheless, the Soviet Government, " in deference to Great Britain's objection," canceled M. Rokovski's appointment.

As the Trade Commissioner is Russia's nearest approach to an ambassador, the British Government had every right to refuse to receive M. Rakovski as the Russian representative. Conversely the Soviet Government could and probably would refuse to receive Lord Curzon as British representative at Moscow.