Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-10-06
CANDID ADVICE GIVEN
ALLIES ABOUT SIBERIA
Russian General Must Be Named to
Take Command OF Purely
.{ Russian Forces.
QUICK ACTION Is NECESSARY
Powerful Campaign MIST Be Under.
taken. and Allied Powers Must
Strike Now, Declares Noted Army
Officer, General Gourko.
BY GENERAL GOuRKO.

der, to tho command OF tho diNefent
allies conunEents about to operate
along the line OF the Trans Siberian
co Command T Is now W." pr prineinie fully be-
lieved III by thS allies. So immediate
an appointment is explainable by the
Time. To adopt il generally. once the
experiment has proved successful. is
not so difficult.
of the principle there is still something
lacking. With time Russian forces
npt fh 1oA has sae BEEN decided t as 70 ' who
shall take command Of the Russian
troops and what his relations will be
choice Of such a leader will certainly
exercise an enormous influence. not
81 tho S1 s ss o S allies but rc ass
II at the head of the allied expedi-
Marshal .Joffre or General Pau. now in
Australia. both OF whom are exceed
inEiy well Known and liked among
of a Russian general would not become
so important question. The name
Of Genera nsnH is IS not S fH%rs M ali
in Russia. That is why it is impera.
tive that the name of General otani
For different reasons the choice of a
man like General iiorwat Will not solve
general he has not commanded light
Ing troops for nearly twenty years
During most of tina. time he has been
mercial possibilities. .Sccondly al,
though his i s,s sxfsan IS Sa TH
known at all by Russian people.
The man chosen should be one Wen
people, a representative military man
whose name would be guarantee OF
competency FOL, the dificuit task in
appointment should fall to soldier
who has fought right through the
revolution: and who Afterwards worked
order against the BolsheNik govern
ment. AS such people are not for the
no appointment can be made at present.
Everything possible should be done
TO- establish relationship with Western
Siberia. where the nucleus Of the allied
force at present lighting in Russia, the
CIecho. Slovaks. is established. To this
West Siberian force must join the scat,
tered commands operating in the Muir
man district, East Siberia, etc. With
time i should be possible for the allied
sse foFees TO
present the Bolsheviks hold part OF the
Trans Siberian Railway cast from
Irkutsk.
CONSIDERED IMPERATIVE
1t is imperative that An EFFORT should
be made to establish communication by
those in
spreading across to the borders OF Eu-
ropean Russia
the commander-in- chief to issue proc
lamations. to the inhabitants OF Siberia
If General Otanis name shall not be
countersiEned with that of a Russian
known rs man who has worked for
the destruction OF Bolshevism, the Of
fect Of the proclanations on the peo-
n ha 10 n int hAI Nm
Will such proclamation be greatly
valued by the Russian people.
To enter into immediate relations by
wireless telegraph the Czecho-Slovaks
now in West Siberia are hampered by
the AusGo. Germans holding the terri
distance of about COO miles.
Latest figures give the number OF
Austro,German in possession Of this
. 10000. l am quite certain these num-
bers are grossly exaggerated. Towards
The end Of 1916 when l was one OF
left in Siberis were German officers,
professional soldiers who had been cap
T Sred ms IN the early days Of the var
scattered over. Western Siberia, mostly
TO the west Of lf:kutsk. for. the simple
churia there is only one town of any
Importance, Chita. which has popula-'
Except the officers there were left
PURPOSES. most of them aIffiicted with
chronic ailments. SO that there is little
doubt that they would prove useless
for fighting now. There are. IL is true
= few physically fit prisoners left in
s,eer rer Tor working PURPOSES but they
greater number, having long ago been
sent west owing TO the scarcity of
There is no probsbiiity thu that t after Ta:
the revolution. and especially after the
signing Of the srcst Litovsk quasi
had increased in Siberia. One must
rather be of the opinion that before
the treaty had been signed Germany
had already made arrangements to re-
ratriate her officer prisoners. The fact
that she was not anxious &c repatriate
hs h meq E dHfs not y iDey Of the
most Of Them Ssrs Of Il sIa Sh6u orts sns
who probably joined the BoisheViks
temporarily as means of avertins a
worse fate. only 10 leave them at the
frst opportunity.
Why Germany was not anxious to re-
patriate the men from Siberia lies in
two causes. First, with but few ex-
ceptions, men who have been taken
TO fight again. Such men are imbued
with the idea that they have ALREADY
a9ne 10 their he share Of The Ehtng and
their place IL the ranks again: such
The German military authorities
well understanding the moral effect Of
placing repatriated prisoners among
their troops, were not anxious TO re-
enlist men whose undoubted effect
would be demoralizing. The other rea.
son, and very significant one for
Germany. is that a great many OF the
prisoners must have become connected
with Bolshcvik principles, and their re-
turn to army life could only be per-
mitted after the strictest examination.
and IN very email numbers. where thew
could be diluted among the other
quences.
All these reasons have no bearing on
the matter Of the officers. most Of whom
could be fslied upon; If all these pris-
brought together they would undoubt.
edIy represent certain fighting force
which could not be ignored, but 10
place Their total number a. anything
the other hand such force would
slner considerably in the matter OF
military materials, food, clothing etc
In such a country as Siberia. especially
IN the winter. which IS now coming
Even II ouch force could be amnlv
proyided with rihes they would be n,
mixed DattAfnS nlunderod -