The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-08
AMERICAN AVIATOR ACTS AS MESSENGER
 FOR TIE RUMAN|ANS
Colonel Boyle Flew From Jassy to Odessa to End Controversy With
 BOlsheviki

London, June 6.-(Correspondence of The Associated Press.)-An Americap's flight by airplane 200 miles from Jassy to Odessa was the means of bringing about peace between the bloshevilSi and the Rumanians last March.
 The American peace dove,' as the Rumanians called him after his daring flight, was Col. Joseph Boyle. Colonel Boyle, who was formerly in the Ca nadian army on the west front, was sent
 to Russia as the representative of the
 committee of the American engineers in London and spent several months in Ru- mania and south Russia The story of his secret airplane trip is now told for the first time.
 Colonel Boyle was one of the few for eigners in Russia who had the confidence and close friendship of the extremist
 Russian parties from the beginning of the revolutionary period He was known among the bolshevild as a man of ac-
 tion, honest and fearless and anxious to extend them a helping hand in every
 work of reconstruction On his journey ings around Russia he was never n-
 terfered with or challenged. He carried
 personal letters and credentials from
 Lenine, Trotzky and a host of lesser lSeiucpS anu COulu Opldltl dAllioSl ally liiliSs
 he wanted from the local or provincial
 soviets. He was accompanied every
 where by d staff of three Russian of ficers 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 Rumanans became very serious. War
 had even been declared on Rumania h,s tta hoIJ nxilr crny n mt
 misunderstanding about the status of
 certain Russian troops in Rumanian
 territory and Rumanian troops in Bess- ara bia. Active hostilities, however, had
 been generally avoided, and both sides
 were presumably anxious to reach an
 amicable understanding.
 But communication between Odessa and
 Jassy was in a state of disorganization
 W which made the telegraphs and the mails
 useless. Every attempt at negotiations between the Rumanians at Jassy and the boisheviki at Odessa was blocked or brought to naught by intriguers or mis- chief-makers. It began to look as f
 things were going to drift straight into bloodshed on a large scale.
 It was at this point that Colonel Boyle, who had been trying to alleviate the food shortage in Rumania, arranged a meet ing of unofficial representatives of both sides on the Rumania frontier and sue ceeded in putting through an agreement between these representatives. The Ru- manian government was ready to ap-
 prove the decision of these informal plenipotentiares, but how was formal confirmation or even favorable consia- eration, to be obtained from the poi shevik side?
 The bolshevik delegates were with out credentials or authority, but they felt if their case were properly put be- fore the authorities in Odessa their course of action would be approved. Travel between Jassy and Odessa had l been impossible for several weeks oW- l ing to the tearing up of the railway line | in Benderi and the wrecking of several | bridges and trestles.
 1 Colonel Boyle volunteered to be the bearer of the olive branch, to carry the peace proposals to Odessa with the least 1 possible delay by means of an airpiane which he had already persuaded the Ru- | manian authorities to put at his dis posal, and he proposed also to use his own personal influence with the bol- shevik leaders in Odessa to secure their approval.
 Speedy action was necessary for 1t was known that orders had already been given to the bolshevik troops to begin hostilties on a large scale, and 1t was | felt that once serious fighting had be- gun, the chances of an amcable adjust ! ment would be much diminished | The necessary papers were hastily prepared and signed and Colonel Boyle motored to an airdrome near Jassy where a Rumanan pilot was waiting l The weather on the day of Coionel Boyle's departure was stormy anu 1 threatening, and several aviation experts advised him to postpone his journey. He declined to be dissuaded and left Jassy
 about noon, arriving safely at Odessa shortly before sunset. l The flight was made at height of about 5000 feet across a rough, noun tainous country, and in the face Of a driving sleet storm. The machine twice developed engine trouble, but this was overcome and a landing was made in an open field not far from the water front at Odessa. By midnight Colon el
 Boyle had secured the signing of the
 peace treaty and the cancellation of the orders for a bolshevik offensive against