It was in September 1917, when the Germans came to occupy Riga, that the first fears for the safety of these treasures were conceived and that measures to be taken, not only to remove them from the theater of military operations, but to direct them to France, were begun to be considered. The eventuality of a German advance on Petrograd and an occupation by the enemy of the Russian capital was so well considered possible that Kerensky, who was in power, then had the masterpieces of the Hermitage Museum transported to Moscow and offered to reserve buildings for foreign ambassadors where they could, at the first danger, come and settle.

This was enough to persuade Mr. Noulens to put all his furniture in a safe place. But, rather than sending it to Moscow, he decided to send it to Stockholm. Tapestries, furniture, and works of art were consequently packed in large crates and were about to be sent to Sweden, through Finland, when, suddenly, civil war broke out in this Russian province which had just separated from the Empire of the Tsars. The struggle between the Finnish Reds and Whites, which was not to end until 1918 with the victory of General Mannerheim, quickly took on such proportions that, with all lines of communication cut, the expedition had to be abandoned.
The threat of a German push towards Petrograd still lingering, another solution was sought. When winter came, the only one that seemed feasible was to transfer the precious crates to Moscow, in order to then be able to send them, by the only railway line Jaroslav-Vologda, to Arkhangel, and from there, finally, as soon as the port was free of ice, to England and France. This project, however, was not to have any more success than the previous one. The Bolshevik revolution, which occurred at the very moment when it was going to be executed, in fact undertook to reduce it to nothing. It is enough to recall the bloody struggles which took place at that time in Moscow, the fires which devoured entire districts there, to convince oneself that the treasures of the French embassy, ​​stored anywhere, would certainly have been in more danger there than in Petrograd. The wisest course, given the events, was still to leave them in their boxes, in the very building on the Neva quay. This was the decision finally taken by Mr. Noulens who, in order to increase their security, placed the embassy, ​​where he could no longer stay, under the protection of the Danish flag. The Danish minister, Mr. de Scavenius, who combined a deep sympathy for our country with a lively admiration for French art, had not only agreed to jealously watch over our riches. He had offered to take them to France as soon as a favorable opportunity arose. Even this hope was disappointed.
The Bolshevik revolution having taken the turn we know, M. de Scavenius, far from being able to follow up on his proposal, was himself obliged to abandon his post and return to his country. Our embassy and its contents were from then on exclusively entrusted to the loyalty of the Soviet government with, as its sole safeguard, its respect for the law of nations... It does not appear that this protection was very effective... Not only were tapestries, furniture and objects of art allegedly unpacked and taken away, but the embassy strong room, with its walls and doors lined with steel, was itself allegedly forced open. In this room had been locked securities, jewels belonging to French people living in Russia, as well as certain documents of interest to national defense, in particular the files of a large metallurgical establishment. Now, it is stated that boxes and chests were broken open and the objects found in them scattered.
The telegrams from Riga attributed the responsibility for these facts to Mr. Zinovieff, who, in addition to the functions of President of the Third International, also holds the position of Governor General of Petrograd. No official news has yet confirmed this accusation. Whoever the guilty party or parties may be, the attitude of the French government could not be in doubt. It protested. It remains to be seen now what the results of the investigations that are being carried out will be, and, if they are negative, what claims we will be able to make.

A. Jullien.