The Washington herald., 1916-02-20
Russian Princess Makes Effort to End War,
But Police Get Peace Terms In Raid and She
Is Banished to Ter Estate In Lieu Of Arrest
Czarn Former Chancellor
Through England of Letter Taken From Her
Against England Car Offered Persian Port by Kaiser Proposal
Aimed toS hatterE ntente
By JOHN L. BALDERsTON. .


London, Feb. IA princess in who's.
veins runs royal blood attempts to enc
the greatest conflict the world has ever
seen; she negotiates In person Will
chancellor, foreign minister, supreme wal
lord himself of the country with whom
her own Emperor Is at war, then Will
sublime sudacity carries peace proposals
and letters through the empire against
whom her Vaccinations are directed
travelling under her own name in semi,
regal state, commences her intrigues in
her own capital, and when her palace is
raided and her documents seized by chiefs
OF the war party exerts such influence
at court that she remains immune from
arrest
The ingredients are here of good
plot for the movies, or for a thriller by
one Of those sensational novelists who
throw the glamour OF romance over the
sordid bargainings Of diplomacy. There
is one fact unfortunate from the point
Of view Of film producer or story writer
the princess is neither young nor sur
passingly beautiful. And that must be
recorded. for the story is true.
1t Happened in Russia.
There is only one great country In
the world where such things could hap
pen, only one where, having happened,
the censors could keep the facts from
STA. At the moment when these lines
are read, 1t Is probable that members of
the Duma will be trying with all their
the facts about the Princess Wassilchik-
strength 10 drag out of the government
on scandel N, as now seems probable, the
Car yields to liberal pressure and per-
mits the Duma to assemble late in Febru-
airy. But II is extremely unlikely that
the whole truth will come out even in
the IJuma and il al IN he .
the cables will not carry out of Russia
any details whatever
The following letter. carried through
Great Britain by the Princess Wassilchik-
on, addressed by one of the most exalted
persons in Germany to one OF the most
exalted persons in Russia, is now in the
hands Of the Car:
Germany does not want to weaken
Russia. On the contrary, she needs
a strong, powerful Russia. Nor is it
the intention of Germany to prevent
Russian influence over the Slavonic
nations. 1t is certain that Austria
Hungary would like to destroy this
influence, but the dual monarchy can
at the present moment do practically
nothing without Germany. Great
Britain is not Russia's friend, and it is
possible your country will have to
regret very much this entente in the
near future. The English already say
thar II the DardanelIes are forced they
will create in the Sea Of Marmora a
second Gibraltas. At least 1t is sure
that Immediately after the end of the
war Great Britain will seek an alliance
with Germany against Russia"
Another Basis" for Peace.
OF even greater significance is the
following basis" for a peace treaty.
brought to Petrograd from Berlin by
the princess and found among her pa
pArs:
Germany has no wish to deny the
right Of Russia to a warm water port.
In view of the failure of the allies al
the Dardanelles. however, it is evil
dent that COnstantinOple is unattain-
able Compensation for Russia could
be found in an outlet on the Persian
Gulf
Before telling as much of the story
of the princess as has been definitely
verified. l will comment briefly on the
above documents. Their genuineness
is indisputable. How they got out I
do not know, but diplomatists in every
entente capital have seen them, and IL
may be surmised that the war party
in Petrograd desired to give select
publicity to the intrigue. The strength
OF the pro-German, or court party,
by the omission OF the name of the
dignitary to whom the letter is ad-
dressed A man who would receive
such a letter in England or France
would be regarded as a traitor, but
the recipient in Russia is too power
full to be needlessly afrronted His
name and the name of the German
statesman said to have signed the let
ter have been told me, but it is ad-
visable in dealing with such a matter
as this to avoid gossip and confne
oneself to provsble facts. 1 will merely
say that the names, both Of the alleged
recipient and the reported author will
appear below in other connections.
OF Great Significance.
The second document. the memoran-
dunn is much the more important. In
few lines, II sets forth an insidious
proposal which. If accepted by Russia.
would not only destroy the entente
against Germany, but would at once set
Russia and Britain by the ears. port
on the Persian Gulf giving an outlet to
the Indian Ocean to Russia involving
of course the gobbIing up of Persia and
Russian railroad from the Black Sea to
the ocean, would put India at the mercy
OF the Russian millions. and 1t was to
avoid any such possibility that Britain
in Persia a sphere Of influence" cover
ing the regions from which India could
be attacked. Considered in the light Of
this memorandum, the present military
operations in southern Persia by Russian
troops and in Mesopotamia by the British
might be regarded as Of greater signifi-
canoe than appears on the surface
though 1 have no warrant for even hint
ing that the slightest suspicion exists
between the Bear and the Lion as to
possible Interior motives in this theater
of war
The Princess Wsssilchikof. Formerly
to the Zarina, belongs to
one Of the dozen greatest families in
Russia Since an ancestor Of that name
was ennobIed In 1855, the house of wassil-
chikofr has been closely allied with the
court. Students Of Russian history will
realize that this meant, for centuries
during which the Russian language was
Ostracized by the upper classes and the
greatest state offices given to Germans,
a constant succession of marriages with
Teutonlc princeSses. Ivan, the terrible,
married Anna Grigorievna Wassilchikor,
and many Wassilchikoffs have held the
highest positions in the empire. Three
weeks ago, some time after the seizure
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