Evening journal., 1917-12-17
-HOiSREVKI
ARN.STCE OPENS
Both Berlin and Petrograd
Proclaim Immediate Ne
gotiationS for Peace
RUSSIA VIOLATES
PLEDGE TO ALLIES

LONDON, Dec. i7-Formal announce
ment was made yesterday by Berlin
that an arrnlstice has been signed be-
tween Russia and Germany and that a
CLAUSE In the agreement specifies that
peace negotiations are to begin imme-
diately. Russia thereby violates her
written treaty with the Allies not 70
make separate peace and lays her
self open To- the possibility Of treat
inent by them as an enemy The Ber-
lin official statement follows.
An armlstlcc agreement was signed
70 Brest Litoysk on sunday 'hy plenl-
otenti0ry representatives Of tho Rus
IAN upper army administration on the
me hand and those of the upper army
administrations OF Germany. Austria
hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey on the
atlor hand
The armlstlce begins at noon De-
cember II and remains in force until
January "a. 1918 Unless seven days
notice Is given It continues IN force au-
tomatlcally II extends t0 all the land
air and naval forces Of the common
fronts
. According to clause o OF the treaty
peace negotiations arc to begin imme-
diately after the signing OF an armis-
lice.
An announcement was made IN Petro-
grad dinering somewhat In detail. Pet
rograd IS silent Oh signing the armis-
tice, but says the agreement was reach
ed Friday Berlin mentions Saturday.
The Russian statement limits the agree
ment to January i2: the German state
ment says it begins today and ends
January 81. but renews itself auto
matically. Following Is the Russian
report:
The Russlan delegates constituting
the armlstlce committee at Brest-Li-
iovsk have advised the Bolshevih au-
thoritios at the Smolny Institute that
an agreement was reached with the
Germans on Friday concerning the
tran fer Of troops. II was TO this effect.
Both sides signing this agreement
bind themselves until January 70, 1918
not 10 carry on operative military
transfers on the front from the Baltic
TO the Black sea. except such transfers
as were already begun up TO the mo-
ment or signlng this agreement.
Leon Ttrozky, the Bolsheviki For
eisn Minister, declared at a meeting OF
the Petrograd Council OF Soldiers and
Workmen's Delegates Saturday nighf
that peace negotiations would be begun
Immediately after the armistice had
been signed The Foreign Minister an
nounced that for a time a break in the
negotiations seemed imminent because
General Honmann won Hofmeister'.
insisted on the right to transfer troops
in small units The German com
mander finally accepted the Russian
formula.
we can't asid won't aid militarlsm
in any way" NJ. Trotzkv said. This
question Of transferring troops was
most fundamental. ! think our formula
is considered by our allies 10 he salts /
factory"
Il will be noted that in the prohibition /
II the movement Of troops which
covers the entire Russian front, such .
transfers as were already begun when
the agreement was signed are express
ly excluded This excludes practically
all the shifting Of troops 10 the western .
front, as that movement Of about 800
300 troops was begun more than a week
ago In other words. the prohibition
Is the 1lmiest kind Of pretext and does
not prevent the transfer Of a. single
regiment from the Russian 10 the
Frerch front