Norwich bulletin., 1918-07-17
STORIES OF THE WAR
An American FIier in Rumania,

An American FIier in Rumania, Correspondence of The Associated
 Pfess.f
 An Americans flight by at4plane 200 miles frcE1 Jassy to Odessa was the means of bringing about peace be- tween the helsheviki and the Run1ani- ans last March.
 The American peace TsPve." ss the Rumanians called him after his daring flight 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 Eng:n- eers 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- trenist Russian parties from the be- ginning of the revolutionary period. He was known among the helsheYfki as man of action, honest and fearless and anxious to extend them a helping hand in every work of reconstruction. On his ieurneyings around Russia he was never interfered with or challenged. He carried personal letters and credentials from Lenine Tretsky and a host of lesser leaders and could obtain almost anything he wanted from the local or provincia, Soviets. He was accom- panied everywhere by a staff of three Russian officers who spoke fuently and who dispiaved great personal loyalty to Colon . Boyle.
 During the latter part of February
 the situation between the bolsheYiki and Rumanians became very serious War had even been declared sn Ruma= nia by the balshevik government. ew- ing to n1isunderstandings about the status of certain Russian troops in Ru- mania territory and Rumanian tr1ops in Bessarabia. Active hostiiities how ever, had ESnn generally avoided. and both sides were presumably anxious to reach an anlicabie understanding. But communications between Odessa and Jassy was in a state of disergan- izatfon which made the telegraphs and the mails useless, Every attempt at i negotiation between the Rumanians at Jassy and the BolsheEiki at Odessa
 was blocked or brought to naught by 1 intriguers or mischief makers. It be- gan to look as if things were going to drift straight into hleedshed on a large scale. q It was at this point that Colonel Boyle, who had been trying to aiievi- ate the food shortage in Rumania. ar
 ranged q meeting of unofficial repre- sentatives of both sides on the Ruma- nian frontier and succeeded in putting l through an agreement between these | representatives. The Rumanian gev-
 errment was ready to approve the de- cis'en of these informal plenipeten-
 tiaries. but now was formal confrma- tion or even favorable consideration. 1 to be obtained from the bolsheyik side | The Bolshevik delegates" were without credentials or authority, but l they felt if their case were preeerly put before the authorities in Odessa their course Of action would be ap- proved Travel between Jassv and 1 Odessa had been iHanAssihie for sev-
 eral weeks owing to the tearing up of l the railway line in Benderi and the wrecking 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 T least possible delay by means of an
 airpiane which he had already per suaded the Rumanian authorities te
 put at his disposal, and he proposed 'alse to use his own personal in-