The Butte daily bulletin., 1920-02-20
BY PAUL HANNA.

By PAUL HANNA,
(Federated Press Correspondent. } |
Washington, Feb. 16.-Humani- |
tarians have dreamed of it since the
days of Lysander-Soviet Russia has
produced it, according to Colonel
Roustam Bek A Democratic anti
militarist army, able to resist the
most powerful attack, yet welded to
its native soil and bitterly hostile to
imperialistic adventures.
Before the senate subcommittee
which is investigating Russian propa-
ganda, Ludwig c. A. X. Martens,
Soviet representative in America, an
nounced recently that the Russian
republic OF workmen and peasants
was now able to defend itself against
any combination Of foreign foes. rs
that true, and how did it come
about?" / asked of Colonel Bek,
whose mind dwells upon military his
tory as Fabre's did upon the history
and habits of the insect realm. He
fought for Russia against Japan in
1905, explained the military move
ments of the world war to readers of
the London Express and is now mill
tary adviser to the Soviet government
bureau at Washington.
"Comrade Martens spoke the
truth" Colonel Bek said in reply to
my question. "By reason of its per-
feet organization no less than intac-
tical ability, the army of Soviet Rus
sia is the strongest in the world. And
the reasons for it's superiority are
- .crd to find.
perhaps you know that the most
important task of any war office is
to study the army organization of
other powers, to follow carefully their
military art, equipment, armament
and tactical development. To ac-
complish this end all governments,
even in time of peace, employ nu-
merous staff of secret agents and
have a military section attached to
all their embassies abroad. They us
ually assign members of their gen.
eral staff, especially to observe and
report on the conduct Of foreign ar
mics, and this practice is legalized
by international conventions, because
military art requires full knowledge
of the development Of foreign ar
mics, thus to enable each general
staff to meet on something like equal
terms the friends of today who may
be the enemies of tomorrow. In
short, the conventional practice has
required that every general staff be
fully informed respecting the mill
tary organization, armament, tao
tics, strategy and if possible the plans
Of mobilization and supply Of every
enemy.
"Let us see how the general staffs
| Of Western Europe have neglected
this cardinal feature of their science
with respect to Russia. The old mill
| tary machine of Russia melted away
when, after the peace Of Brest-Lito-
vsk, Lenine uttered his magic COM
mand to the soldiers: Go home!
An amazing rehabilitation ensued.
| The soldiers returned to their viii
| lagos, taking with them their rifles
and ammunition, some machine guns
and some even retained pieces of ar
tillery. Practically, Russia was ber-
eft Of a military organization, ii we
except the disorderly detachments of
counter-revolutioni who fought
over different parts of the vast for
mer empire.
"With the Germans still in full in
yasion of European Russia, the coun-
ter-revolutionists began to concen-
trate in Siberia and near the Black
Sea. The allies, instead Of recogniz-
ing and uniting with the Soviet gov
ernment to create new anti-Germar
military power, withdrew to the coast
bases from which they hoped a sub
sequent invasion of Russia might be
launched. So, by their own act, the
allies drew curtain between them
selves and the new communist party
of Russia, which Trotzky has de
ve!oped entirely without the assist
ance, supervision or intelligence o.
foreign observers. The western pow
ers could not guess and have no
since learned what kind of a mill
tary organization it is that the new
Russian republic relies upon for pro
lection.
"Trotzky knew that a proletarial
, republic could neither create nor rel.
upon an army fashioned on the OLE
lines Of capitalist imperialism. H
was aware that in 1913 the famou
Socialist leader, Jaures, had tried t
create a truly democratic army il
France. and had shown that b.
clinging to the old formula, France
although a political republic, pos
SGSSCuS dill I'LL ai ny eeAAA > y
could not defend herself without for
: eign assistance.
"The new Russia availed herself o
, a new general staff to cope with tn
new situation. While inferior i
technical resources, she was incom
, parably superior in morale and
thanks to her geographical position
enjoyed enormous strategical advan
tages. 1t is these factors which hav
y produced the new principles of wa,
] fare in Russia, and which remain un
known to her foreign foes. There
fore. while the entente powers ar
! absolutely ignorant of the new Rus
p sia's military organization and plans
the Russians are fully informed re
/ specting the military structure an
the strategical and political aims
their enemies because they have nc
L changed and were never secrete
4 from the Russian general staff.
Their political object being
>, destroy the Soviet government tn
G allies must shape their milita1
strategy toward the capture Of Mo-
COW. The political aim OF the Ru
+ slams being to unite the countl
i, within the Soviet republic, the
- n, ;Jntn