New-York tribune., 1918-12-09
Cen. Lebedeff Says Allies
Must Send Supplies or
Bolshevism Will Triumph
Is Going to Paris Next
Peasants Will Be Nictors if
Early Assistance Is Forth
coming, He Declares

An sppesl for Americas help III the
.sttle against the rising tide of Boil
sheyikism, which loyal Russians have
fouVht for months, was made yester-
d.v bv Colonel vladimir |. Lebedeff. of
+he Russian army, who has come to
the United States as the emmisary Of
his hard.pressed comrades,
Colonel Lebedef declared that un-
less the Allies gave material assistance
at once TO his own peasant followers
y fthe Socialists sRevolutionists, and to
,be Czecho- Slovaks. the better els
ments in Russia were threatened with
determination. Man power is not lack
inp to completely overthrow the Soviet
teTrorists, but food, munitions and a
definite moral support are needed.
The lack of 10000 additional rifles last
August alone prevented the army of
the Russian people from capturing
Moscow.
Long With Russian Army
Colone, Lebedeff has served with
Russo-Jspanese War. He was a mem
ber of Prince Lvoff's cabinet after the
March revolution of 1917, and previ-
ously had served as q private on the
French front with a battalion of his
countrymen which he organized in
Paris. He received the Cross of War
for conspicuous bravery. In June,
1918. he returned to Russia and en-
tered the new Ministry. which was
organized on the Nolga by the Com
mittee OF the Constituent Assembly.
He later organized the detachments
which cooperated with the Czecho-
Slovak forces and held the Volga line
against the Bolsheviki until forced to
retreat by superior enemy.
Referring to the inability of his
peasant army to attack Moscow in the
critical days of August, Colonel Lebe-
def said great strategic opportunity
to crush the Soviets was lost.
Forced to Remain on Volga
"In our poorly armed condition." he
said, I'VE did not feel justified in leav-
ing the Volga, the line that had been
given US to hold by the Allies. We
waited for the Allies, according to
help came. And it is to gain this help
that | have come to the United States
now.
"The Soviets did not again offer such
q weak point of attack. They con-
cluded the treaty with Germany which
permitted them to bring their forces
from the Ukraine and the German
border against us. This augmented
the forces on our front to 10000 men
BY q second treaty the German pris-
oners in Russia were ordered by their
government TO enter the ranks of the
Bolsheviki army. This brought great
many recruits. We held out as long
as we could.
great that when we left Kazan 10000
with US, and there was a similar exodus
from other cities. Terror reigns in
these Districts
Needs Help of America
$50 my country now asks the help
of the United States against the
tyrants who are threattning its life
and soul"
Colonel Lebedef told of the early
Czecho-Slovaks last spring after the
forming of the Constituent Assembly.
We needed arms from the first"
said Colonel Lebedef. "We had moth
ing except what we captured from the
Bolshevki
"kazan, one of the biggest cities in
Russia, was taken on August g. In
this city We took possession of s0o,OOO,-
600 roubles in gold, two-thirds of the
gold supply OF the old Russian empire
This vast sum had been in the hands
OF the Bolsheyiki, and part was to
have been transferred to Germany in
accordance with the Brest-Litovsk
treaty"
After he has tried to arouse America
TO the pressing needs of the Anti Bol-
shevlki IN Russia, Colonel Lebedeff will
sail on similar mission to France.