New-York tribune., 1919-02-08
1rotzky Raises
Huge Army for
W orld Crusade
Two Million Picked Men
Reported Ready to Plant
Red Flag ALI Over Europe
By Elias Tobenkin
NeaD York Tribune
,SnecinI CnhIe Co-..;-.

DpeCtut (uOte CGTDtC6
Copyright 1919 New York Tribune Inc,
WE1MAR, Feb. 5.-With Lenine SEEM
lngly dissenting and opposing the idea
of attempting by means of arms to
spread Bolshcvism into Germany and
the rest of Europe, Trotzky is vigor-
ously proceeding with the formation
and arming of q huge army, a. proce SIS
which can find parallel only in the
tanatical armies of the dark ages.
Every soldier in Trotzky's army is
"a soldier of the spirit" according to
a statement made to The Tribune cor
respondent by the well-known Berlin
litterateur, Edward Erichs, who has lust
returned from Russia, where he spent
three weeks in Petrograd, Moscow and
Riga, arranging for the care and trans
portation of Russian civilian and war
prisoners still in Germany. Erich said:
"Trotzky's army is entirely composed
of volunteers. The soldiers are most
carefully chosen, only those faithful
to the Bolshevik ideas being accepted.
The army is estimated as nearing the
two million figure, and is showing Won
derful discipline and devotion. The
Putiloff iron works are working at ton
speed making munitions.
Could Easily Take Finland
"The noted engineer, Krassin, for
merly with Siemens, Schubert Elec
trical Works, Berlin, has been engaged
by the Lenine government to promote
Russian industries and. commerce.
krassin is devoting special attention
to the Putilof works He told me that
production at the Putiloff works has
been quadrupled in the last six
months.
The Russian army is we'll supplied
with artillery and could take Finland
any day and reestabish the Soviet gov
eminent there, but Trotzky is keeping
the armies from taking Finland be-
cause that may involve a conflict with
the Finnish population. The Bolshe-
vlk government deems it inadvisabe
to proceed to Finland before having
taken the Ukraine.
"a Bolshevik government has been set
up alongside the Ukrainiar government
and the people are hocking to the Boil
shevik rule. Pertakof, head of the
Okralnlan government, told me that
in three months the Ukraine would be
completely Bolshevik controlled"
Lenine Opposes Trotzky
When asked whether Trotzky was
preparing big army to invade Ger
many, as the Berlin papers claim,
Erichs said
"The question of using the army to
start a worldwide Bolshevist war is
dividing Russia. Lenlne is against
Russia meddling outside her frontiers
In my presence Lenine told Bucharin.
one of the most prominent Bolshevist
leaders, that Bolshevism is a suitable
form of Socialism only for Russia, but
ropean countries.
"Lenine opposes the suggestion that
Russia attempt to act the role of the
worlds Bolshevik angel, saying that
Russia must let the proletariats of the
other countries solve their problems
in their own way and confine its &C
5ivties only TO establishing the Soviet
government in Russia on safe and
permanent basis
Says Leninc Is Humane Man
When the above statement was shown
to Friedrich Kampfer. editor of "Vor-
waerts" and the best Informed man
on Bolshevism in Berlin. he said:
81 can we'll believe that Lenine op-
posed Russia leading European Bol-
Continued on neat page