The sun., 1919-11-05
AMERICANSLOSTNG
GROUND In SIBERIA
Competitors Make Progress
While Misunderstanding
With U. s. Grow.
HpAN GAINS STEADILY
Phil Nortom Returns With
Warming That "0pen Door"
Depends on Quick Action.
1PAN GAINS STEADILY


II is with regret and apprehension
that Russians here and in their own
country view the rapidly accumulating
Misunderstanding between Americans
and Russians around vladivostok and
in the Far East. according to Phil Nor
ton. former acting director Of the Rus
sian Division Committee on Public In
formation, who arrived here recently
from Siberia and is retained as trade
!. counsellor by a number of Russian and
American houses. THAT these misun-
derstandings are purely local. due to
outside infiuende, and constitute an In
ternatlonal problem, all acquainted with
the situation well know" said Mr..
Norton. a.G-
aWhether or not the American Gov
ernrnent and people are aware Of this
I do not know. It seems to me that
the time has come when those who to
qain their own ends strive to disrupt
the friendly relations between America
and Russia and to Nretard the recon-
structive efforts Of the anti-Bolshevist
forces shouid be checked.
ut appears now that considerable
success has been achieved by those
forces which look with disfavor upon
the return OF normal conditions to
Siberia and upon any participation in
development activities in rich Siberia
By Americans or American capital. un-
less applied indirectly. -.
The United States was the most pop
uIar of all nations with the Siberians
es,t ant araA Stharia affar foin
ing the Allies, but this country Is now
dlsDked and ridicuied from Ekaterin-
burg to Vladivostok.
Competitors Winning Control.
'The United States Is unpopular for
a variety of reasons, which include Gu
rious accidents and anti-American prop
asanda, but, mainly because Americans
made great promises and preparations
10 benefit Siberia and then did practi-
cally nothing to fulfil Siberian expecta-
tions. s....-. .....t.
.At present our competitors are PEN
etrating every corner Of eastern Siberia
economically and obtaining such con-
troll of ports. transportation and mar
keting facilities that, IL American busi-
ness is Inactive another year. American
firms will find difficulty In doing busi-
ness in Siberia except through foreign
Intermediates.
THE, people of Siberia were 50 enthu-
siastlc about America when our repre-
sentatives first entered the country" he
said "and such big demonstrations took
place in their honor that our future re-
latlons seemed secure. This popularity
was lost through a, series of mistakes
and accidents and turned into indigna-
nd dfalika hv n ndAs nj
promises to the people of Siberia, fol-
lowed by our apparent abandonment Of
our good intentions toward them.
'The word widely disseminated that
this country had taken the lead In In
viting the Bolsheviki to negotiate at
Prinkipo caused wave of Indignation
from one end of Siberia to another. The
Bolsheviki look on the Bolshevikt
as murderers and worse, and revolted
at the idea of treating with them. As
a matter of fact the sBolsheviki are
worse than they are painted in the most
sensational accounts you have received
In this country. America has been up-
der suspicion from the time the Prin-
kipo plan was suggested. and this has
been deepened by the absence of any
clear cut policy since then.
What faith Siberians still held in
this country was destroyed by a whole
sale making and breaking of promises.
Americans In Siberia for any purpose.
when asked what America was going to
do for Siberia, would make ambitious
promises in behalf Of the War Trade
Board. '-
Expected Food ana Clothing.
we were going to feed and clothe
every man, woman and child in Siberia,
according to American promises Then
the War Trade Board went out of exist
ence, with nothing done.
"Such promises by individuals might
not have caused 80 much damage. but
the War Trade Board officially asked
the Committee on Public Information to
get data on the needs Of the multitude Of
villages in Siberia, in the way of cloth
Ing and other necessaries. These were
lsbcriously gathered by the Russians at
our request and transmitted to the Pub
hcity Committee, but by the time the
data were received the War Trade Board
had gone out Of business and had no
use Tor the figures. The Committee on
Public Information in Siberia was kept
busy from then on explaining why we
took such Information II we didn't want
to do anything with IT,
The harm done to the United States
BY such occurrences was increased by
the fact that the United States had no
positive policy in Siberia. and the Siber-
ians were kept In bewilderment as to
what were our real intentions. They
could not make out what we were doing
and were all the more suspicious on
that account"
Mr.. Norton sad that anti-American
feeling and suspicion OF all Americans
grew to such an extent that even the
NJ c. A. and the Red Cross were re-
sarded by the average Russians as sin
ister anti-Russian movements The tri-
angular insigne Of the Y. NJ. G. A. he
said, was commonly supposed to be an
emblem Of Masonry. and the impression
became widespread that the Y. NJ c. A.
miEsion was to undermine the Russian
orthodox Church. The Red Cross work.
ers, he said. were taken for commercial
travellers selling hospital supplies. The
sooc work Of these organizations IL now
making a good impression.
one American professor who was sent
out by the COMMITTEES on Public Infor-
nation to lecture on the American school
system was put down as a sort OF Of
neiai book agent. Mr.. Norton said that
5s mission OF the Committee on Public
information was purely altruistio; but
that the average Russian could not be
MADE to believe this Tho altruistic prop
esanda OF the committee. Mr.. Norton
taid. taken in connection with the
petuuarities Of American policy in 81.
peria: 30 puzzled the Siberians that they
set themselves to decipher the hidden
OBJECT OF the visitors from America. and
were not satisfied until they had evolved
inc most srotesque explanations OF H.