The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-07-23
AMERICANS !
BROUGHT ON PEACE
Journey In Aircraft Settled Dir
ference Between Russians
and, Rumanians

LONDON, July 12 = Associated
prcss>-An American s. flight by air.
plane 200 hundred miles from JaSsy
to Odessa was the means of bringing
about peace between the BolsheViki
anil the Rumanians last March.
'Fhe American "peaee dove" as the
Rumanians called him after his daring
fight, was Colonel Joseph Boyle. Col.
onel Boyle, who was formerly in the
Canadian Army on the West front, was
sent to Russia as the representative of
the Committee of the American Engin.
GERS in London and spent several
months in Rumania and South Russia.
The story of his secret airplane trip
is now told for the first time.
Colonel Boyle was one of the few
foreigners in Russia who had the con
fidence and close friendship Of the ex-
tremist Russian parties from the begin.
ming Of the revolutionary period. He
was known among the Bolsheviki rs
a man of action, honest and fearless
and anxious to extend them a helping
hand in every work of reconstruction.
On his journeyings around Russia he
was never interferred with or challen-
ged. He carried personal letters and
credentials from Lenine, Trotzky and
a host of lesser leaders and could OBJ.
tain almost anything he wanted from
the local or provincial Soviets. He
was accompanied everywhere by staff
of three. Russian officers who spoke
English fluently and who displayed
great personal loyalty to Colonel Boyle.
During the latter part of February
the situation between the Bolsheviki
and Rumanians became very serious.
War had even been declared on Ru-
mania by the Bolsheviki government,
owing to misunderstanding about the
status of certain Russian troops in
Rumanian territory and Rumanian
troops in Bessarabia. Active hostili.
ties, however, had been generally
avoided, and both sides were presum.
ably anxious to reach an amicable
understanding.
But communication between Odessa
and Jassy was in a state of disorgani.
aztiOn which made the telegraphs and
the mails useless. Every attempt at
negotiation between the Rumanians at
Jassy and the BOlsheviki at Odessa
was blocked or brought to naught by
intriguers or mischief makers. 1t began
to look as If things were going to drift
straight into bloodshed on a large scale.
1t was at this point that Colonel
Boyle, who had been trying to alleviate
the food shortage IN Rumania, ar
ranged a meeting of unofficial repre-
sentatives of both sides on the Ru
manian frontier and succeeded in put
ting through an agreement between
these representatives. The Rumanian
government was ready to approve the
decision of these informal plenipOten
tiaries, but how was formal confrma
ton or even favorable consideration,
to be obtained from the Boishevik
sidef
The Bolshevih delegates" were
without credentials or authority, but
they felt if their case were properly
put before the authorities in Odessa
their course of action would be ap-
proved. Travel between Jassy aud
Odessa had been impossible for several
weeks owing to the tearing up of the
railway line in Benderi and the wreck
ing of several bridges and trestles.
Colonel Boyle volunteered to be, the
bearer of the olive branch, to carry the
peace proposals to Odessa with the least
possible delay by means of an airplane
which he had already persuaded the
Rumanian authorities to put at his dis
pOsal, and he proposed also to use his
own personal influence with the Boil
shevik leaders in Odessa to secure their
approval.
Speedy action was necessary, for it
was known that orders had already
been given to the Bolsheviki troops to
begin hostilities on a large scale, and
it was felt that once serious fighting
had begun, the chances of an amicable
adjustment would be much diminished
The necessary papers were hastily
prepared and signed, and Colonel Boyle
motored to an airdrome near Jassy
where a Rumanian pilot was waiting
| The weather on the day of Colonel
Boyle departure was stormy and
threatening, and several aviation eX-
perts advised him to postpone his jour.
ncy. He declined to be dissuaded and
left Jassy about noon, arriving safely
at Odessa shortly before sunset.
The fight was made at height of
about 5000 feet across a rough noun
famous country and in the face of a
driving sleet storm. The machine twice
developed engine trouble, but this was
overcome and landing was made in
an open field not far from the water
front at Odessa. By midnight Colonel
Boyle had secured the signing of the
peace treaty and the cancellation of
the orders for BOlsheviki Offensive
against Rumania.
W. 8. 3. -