The Washington herald., 1919-05-18
|0lCHAK GAINS
ALLIED SUPPORT
|AS ARMY CROWS
)msk Government Has Best
Chance to Be Recognized
OF Any in Russia.
TAKE CAPITAL
iesitate at Task Of Feeding
Petrograd- Soviet Min
ister Accuses Foes.

Paris. May 17.-Admiral Kolchak,
rhose forces are advancing from
liberia against the Bolsheviki. is
spidfy assuming a favored position
b the eyes Of the allied govern
nents, 1t was learned tonight. In
British circles he Is now being re-
ferred to as the Beatty OF Russia"
A French general has been with
zolchak's army for some time. II
bow develops. and the opinion is ex-
pressed In French quarters that IL
kny Of the present Russian factions
Are recognized, II will be that headed
by Kolchak. the so-called omsk
xovernment. His armies are about
\ third Of the way from omsk to
Moscow.
Americans are non-committal re-
harding the French suggestion that
the United States probably will see
Its way clear to recognize Kolchak
liz the other allied governments do.
Films ut Petrograd-
In the meantime the Firms have
|given assurance that they can take
|Petrograd any time they desire. The
difficulty appears to be. however. that
in that event they would have to feed
the population. and they lack the
facilities for that. Therefore, it is
pointed out that the Firms probably
will not attempt to seize Petrograd
without British assistance and asSur-
ance OF food.
In the face of this new swing in
the Russian tangle, Foreign Minister
Tchitcherin. in replying to DIR. Nan
sens proposition that the allies feed
Russia through a neutral commission.
referred to Kolchak's government as
"a purely monarchial power belong
ing to the most savage parties OF
czarism"
The full text Of the Tchitcherin
note has not been received, and the
portions that have arrived are badly
garbIed, leaving some room for doubt
as to whether it is a final rejection
of Nansen's proposition or is pos
sibly an outline of conditions as
Tchitcherin understands them. with
counter-suggestions.
Thanks DIR. Nansen.
The note thanks Nansen profusely
for the offer, continuins:
IF left in peace and allowed to de-
velop freely, Soviet Russia would
rapidly be capable of restoring ma
tional production. On the basis of a
humanitarian effort to succor a suf-
fering people. we would do all in our
To sREU ha slf
your project. Unhappily. your charit-
able Intentions have been mixed by
others with political designs. We re-
gret your intentions have been per-
verted by the governments of the as
sociated powers"
Tchitcherin then points out that the
Soviet government accepted the invi-
tation for a general conference at
Prinkipo. whereas the Omsk govern
ment and all other anti-Bolshevik
factions rejected it.
1--WE were not the cause for failure of
the Prinkopo PLAN" said Tchitch-
erin. 1T was our adversaries, the
9roteges OF the associated powers
that is. the counter-revolutiona
governments of Kolchak. Denekin
the help of which the allies are
lighting to destroy u.s."
Dispatches received from Vienna
. .oday said that a wireless from
Tchitcherin to Foreign Minister
Bella Kun at Budapest had stated
hat the Ukrainian red army had
iriven the Rumanians across the
Dneister and that the latter were
fleeing.
A Moscow wireless reported that
\ cruiser and two destroyers of
unknown identity had bombarded
he region north of Ropsha. twenty
our miles north of Petrograd. but
hat no material damage was done.