Evening star., 1918-01-09
SUSPECTS
MOTIVES OF ALLIES
Believes They Want Russ to
Gain Peace to Obtain Better
Terms for Selves.
PETRoGRAD SITUATION BAD
By the Associated Press.

LONDON, January 9.-Leon Trotzky,
the bolshevik foreign minister. IS con-
yfnced that the entente governments
wish Germany to make an advantage
GUS separate peace with Russia. go that
Germany will agree the more Willingly
to surrender what he allies want IN
the west. ACCORDING to the Petrograd
correspondent of the Daily News. Tne
foreign minister. who was interviewed
as he was starting for Brest-Litovsk.
said that Premier Lloyd George hao
made a statement permitting such an
Interpretation, and he spoke along the
same lines as an editorial printed
earlier in the bolshevik organ, Pravda.
Premier Lloyd George. the corre-
spondent assured Trotzky. had never
made such a statement. but the DOL
and said. "That is the allied policy"
He added that the attitude of the boil
sheviki would not be Influenced by the
attitude Of the allied governments, but
by that Of the allied peoples.
Thinks Germans Need Peace.
Trotzky was asked what hope he himself
had of a general acceptable peace. lie re-
piled that it was difficult to say because
the Germans had not yet been offered a
chance to make such peace. but ne was
sure that the Germans must need IL
The Russian foreign minister quoted
German deserters as saying that the Ger
mans were unable to remove troops from
the eastern front in large units They
were removing them one at time ana
the men, knowing where they were oeins
sent, jump from trains in attempts TO
escape. He reiterated the story that Z5.-
600 German troops had deserted in the
kovno district, adding that the Germans
cannot get their own men to attack the
deserters and are trying to reduce them
by starvation.
Slap at Great Britain.
Asked what terms he actually hoped to
get, Trotzky refused to reply and said,
clare war on England now for the sake
Of India, Egypt and Ireland"
The Daily News correspondent pro-
tested that Great Britain made nothing
out Of India, to which Trotzky replied:
"Then give up being so altruistic. You
English are the most chauvinist nation
on the earth without knowing it,
Petrograd Situation Gloomy.
The situation in Petrograd is depicted
in the most gloomy colors by the CORE
spondent OF the Times. VINO. IN teie-
mas, says that no Christmas in 800 years
has bseas -celebnaxed sin~0sch tragic cir
Petrograd. he adds. is full
of dirt disorder and crimes.
Burglary, robbery and murder In the
most audacious forms prevail to an
extent hfterto unknown and there is
no police or other authority to which
to appeal
The food situation is very critical.
he says. and starvation appears to be
staring the people in the face. The only
bread to be had is black. gritty and
and some is composed of
millers' refuse and mixed with straw
Potatoes are getting scarce and dear,
while meat is a rare luxury.
Situation Desperate.
The. wretched conditions of existence
have been aggravated by binding snow
storms drifted by violent winds for
three days and nights. with the tenn
perature at IA degrees fahrenheit. The
of the Times thus sums
up the general position of the coun-
try:
perate that only Intervention of the al
lies or the Germans can prevent a
AS this can no longer be
expected from the allies, the disheart-
ened Russian looks to the Germans to
put an end to the awful chaos in which
Not offered q. s. Wheat.
Denial is made by the Norwegian
food minister that the bolshevik gov
,rnment of Russia has offered Norway
grain or -four from any foreign coun-
:ry, says an Exchange Telegraph dis
patch from Copenhagen today. It has
oeen reported that the bolsheviki were
offering to Norway the wheat stored
IN the Murnan coast and shipped from
America for use in Petrograd.
Russia. the Norwegian minister Is
,uoted as saying. offered Norway Rus
sian wheat, but withdrew the offer.
Russ and Germans Confer.
AMSTERDAM. January 9.-The lead
,rs Of the delegations representing
Russia and the central powers held a
preliminary discussion yesterday, dis
posing of questions of procedure dis
>,+oI, fron RreSt I .itovSk reportS Tho