The Case of Captain Kendrick The arrest by the German
Secret Police of Captain Kendrick, who has been Passport Officer at the British Consulate at Vienna for thirteen years, is, on the face of it, an outrageous action, and no facts have transpired to dispel that impression. The German authorities have stated that Captain Kendrick confessed to espionage, which is declar6d by the Foreign Office to be untrue, but they have declined to make any specific charge against him. Captain Kendrick was released after 48 hotirs' imprisonment and required to leave German soil, which he would have done considerably sooner if he had not been interfered with, as he was actually on his way home on leave when the arrest occurred ; if his presence in Vienna was distasteful to the German authorities it would have been easy to arrange that he should not return to Vienna. In the absence of any explanation or justification the arrest wears the appearance of a deliberate insult. There is a disposition in Whitehall to let the matter drop, on the ground that no means of exacting satisfaction exist, and that nothing can be gained by embarking on polemic discussions. Cer- tainly crude reprisals such as Germany applied when three German journalists had to be expelled from this country have nothing to recommend them. But it would be disastrous to give Germany the impression that we care little how she treats British officials within her territories.
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