On this day, 42 years ago, April 5, 1983 (February 22, 1983 in the lunar calendar), France expelled 47 Soviet diplomats. On April 5, France expelled 47 Soviet diplomats on the grounds of "espionage." On April 5, 1983, 47 Soviet diplomats and other officials stationed in France were ordered to leave the country by the French government on charges of espionage. Among the expelled persons were a first secretary of the Soviet Embassy in France and the director of the Paris branch of the TASS news agency. The French Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that the above-mentioned Soviet personnel were expelled because they engaged in various espionage activities. French government spokesman Max Gallo issued a statement after a cabinet meeting on April 6 about France's expulsion of 47 Soviet spies, saying,"Through this action, the French government has shown that it does not allow foreign spies to do whatever they want." "There is no need to comment on this step, the action itself is enough," he said. He pointed out that "what France implements on its own territory, other countries will implement it more vigorously on its territory." "When espionage was still a regular activity, the rule was that whoever was caught should be punished," Gallo said. He stressed that this incident will not change France's basic national policy. According to media reports at the time, at least one-third of the 700 Soviets holding diplomatic passports in Paris were engaged in espionage.