Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-03-07
.LEN|NE WAS READY
To- KILL TREATY
Raymond Robins Declares Boil
shevists Waited in Vain to.
H ear From Allies.
PROPAGANDA WAS HARMFUL
Russian Morale Hurt by Aneri-
can and Allied Statements of
Large Force on Way.
PROPAGANDA WAS HARMFUL
Rr LAMEs II. NounsE.

WASHINGTON. March 6.-In a recital
which thrilled and fascinated his lis
teners Colonel Raymond Robins, OF
Chicago. who was in Russia for the
American Red Cross, gave the Over
man subcommittee Of the Senate to-
day his impressions Of the Bolshcvist
movement, and some inside facts con-
corning the reasons for its rise TO
power.
Standing out from the great mass of
information in this remarkable state
nent-the first public statement Colo
mel Robins has made since his return
fact:
l. The Brest Litovsk treaty would
not have been ratified by the Lenine-
9,,,al Trotsky gG]yernmsn. ] il the United
sponse to the appeals made by the
American ambassador, the British high
com missioner, Colonel Robins, and
others for economic relief to the Soviet
government.
2. Lenine and Trotzky were not con-
sciouSly German agents; they were
surrounded by anarchists who were in
Germany,s pay, and to whom are
chargeable omst of the e1cesses COM
mitted in the name of the Soviets.
3. If tho monarchy had not fallen.
the Car would have concluded a sep
arate peace with Germany in thirty
days.
FRANCE DEMANDED
POWERS INTERVENE
4. While English and American off,
Gals in Pctrograd were working with
the Bolshevist leaders to keep them in
the war against Germany, Franco was
demanding Intervention to protect the
vast sums of money which had been
loaned by French bankers to the Rus
sian autocracy.
5. The intervention in Siberia was
bad move and merely served to stir
up the ccnturics-old enmity of the
Slavs against the Japanese. whom they
distrusted and despiscd.
Colonel Robins was before the COM
mittee for more than oight hours. Ex-
cept for h rest of one hour for lunch,
he talked from 10:30'in the morning un-
til nearly S o'clock. -
The members Of the committee pres
ent were Senator'S Overman, Nelson
and Sterling. others who heard him
were Senator Johnson. of California.
who sponsored the resolution in the
Senate for the return Of the American
soldiers; Senator Norris. of Nebraska,
and Scnator-F'rance. of Maryland The
committee-room was packed with lis
teners, OF whom large majority were
women
Colonel Robins began his statement
by repudiatinE the suggestion that he
that he had ever favored formal reeos-
United States. He declared that the
"nole theory or the BolShcviSt Is eco
nomically impossible and morally
wrong" He made no defense of the
acts OF violence which have been com
mitted by the Eed Guard in various
parts of Russia.
OPPOSES EXTENSION OF
AID TO BOLSREVISTS
The thing which Colonel Robins de-
clared that he did stand for was the
eXten sion by the United States of help
to the Bolshevist government: that is
help Of an economic nature. The TAX
ing over of the control OF the trans
portation systems. particularly the
Trans Siberian Railway. was recon-
mended, as was also the supplying Of
machinery and raw materials.
If such help could be given, Colonel
Robins said, the Bolshcvist movement
itself would fall. because the peasants
will realize that cooperation with es-
| tablished governments will help them
| more than violence against every gov
| ernment on earth.
| The story of how the Brest Litoysk
treaty came to be ratified when Lenine
| and Trotzky both were against 1t In
| terested the committee. It showed that
the urgent appeals from officials who
were on the ground were ignored by
the nome governments, and that Le-
nine was compelled to support ratiti-
cation of the treaty after all hone Of
receiving support from England and
the United States had been abandoned