The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-21

With its consent, the entente had
continued to organize Czecho- Slovak
bands of troops from the Austro- Hun
sarian war prisoners. They were in
tended to be used against us, and
We're to be brought to France across
the Siberian railway. And this was
allow ed by a government with which
1--WE were at peace, and we let it go
on! / wrote to the imperial chancellor
at length about this at the beginning
of June, and called his attention to
the dangers which thceatened us from
the soviet government.
This weapon which had been forg ed
against US was indeed to be turned
against the soviet government itself.
The entente had recognized that there
was no use working with this govern
ment. which, moreover, leaned on Ger
many. Therefore, it took stand
against bolshevism. The Czecho-Slovak
troops did not come to France; they
were held up on the Siberian railway
on the frontier of Russia and Siberia,
in order to fight the Moscow govern
ment from this point. They pressed
forward more and more against the
middle Volga, in the direction of ka-
san and Samara.
by occupying the Siberian railway
the entente at the same time
cceded in preventing the return of our
/ prisoners of war in Siberia. This was
/ certainly a blow to our strength. Ii
the soviet government had been in
good faith with its peace treaty. these
same trains which carried the Czecho-
Siovaks could have borne German pris-
onera of war well. But 1T was not
honorable. Bolsheyism hurt us wher-
Z ever 1T was able.
Up the Volga and westward of its
| downward current, that was still COM
/ pletcly in bolshevik control the Don
| Z 81 re cd
| into cur sphere of occupation. The
hetman, General krasnoff, was decid-
| edly anti bolsheVsk in feeling and
fought the soviet troops. But he
| lacked weapons and ammunition. l
| had entered into communication with
him in order to prevent his joining the
entente.
The situation was complicated in so
! far that l could not make any diff
culties for the bolshevistically inclined
| policy of the government. and that
Krasnoff looked upon the soviet gov
eminent. and not the entente, as his
foe Nevertheless, it was possible to
keep him from taking any open stand
in favor of the entente and to win him
in a measure as confederate. If we
decided to fight Moscow, then he
would openly come out on our side.
In the wide, fruitful steppes of the
district of Kuban. between the Don
COSSackS ana the Caucasus MOUNTAINS,
5; General Alexeieff. with his volunteer
army was fighting against the boil
shevik troops He was acting un1er
English influence. But l believe that
he was so good Russian that he too
would have Joined us if we had fought
the soviet government.
/ ANNIHILATED BOLSHEVIKS
4 The bolsheviks for the time being
were in the ascendency. In the begin
ming of June. although the Moscow
government could not go far enough
in it's assurances of peace, they landed
few thousand men from the south
western Azof district over the Sea Of
Azof at Taganrof Here they were
soon annihilated by German troops.
In Novorossisk Were still the rem
nants of the Russian ships which had
escaped from Sebastopol. Our military
right and the laws of necessity required
us to demand or enforce their return
from there. In this. too, the foreign Of
flee, in consideration for the Soviet
government, delayed negotiations, al-
though no better proof could have been
shown of it's unfriendly attitude, nj
least. of it's inability to prevent un-
friendly actions of it's troops, than the
landing mt Taganrog.
At length the Soviet government
agreed to the return of the ships TO
Sebastopol. Only portion of them mr.
rived; the majority of them were sunk
by the bOlsheviks. influenced after all
by national feeling, In the harbor of
Novorossiisk. We had stipulated with
the Soviet government to make use of
the ships during the war as much as
the military situation should require.
We have had no use of them.
| MY THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS
AS regards~Ireat Russia, our policy,
as carried out by Ministerial Director
Krieg, worked directly in favor of the
bolshevists. There is no doubt that