New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-13
Wrangel Ready
To Enter Parley
W it'll Soviet
Willing to Negotiate Line
of Demarcation of Ter
ritories i'm South e rn
Russia on Equal Terms
Warning Given to Britain
Commander Views With No
Alarm Chance of Attack
After the Polish Peace

The attitude Of the government Of
General Wrangel toward negotiations
with the Bolsheviki, in conjunction
with the Allied powers, Is disclosed in
dispatches reaching this city yesterday
from Paris and containing a statement
by Peter Strive, Minister of Foreign
Affairs in the Wrangel government.
In this statement M. Struve asserts
that the government of General
Wrangel admits the possibility of
negotiations with the Bolsheviki on
such points as establishing a line of
demarcaton between the territories
controlled by the Bolsheviki and those
under control of General Wrangel,
which include the Crimea and parts
of Southern Russia, to enable General
Wrangel to consolidate his forces and
his hold upon the territories under
his control
M. Strive emphasizes the point that
his government will agree to negotia-
tons with the Bolsheviki only on the
basis of equality and will accept no
preliminary conditions. Should the
British government accede to the de-
mands of the Bo1sheviki that General
Wrangel disarm, M. Strive says. the
discontinue all conversations with the
British and will utilize all its forces
in fighting the Bolshcviki. M. Strive
asserts that General Wrangel views
with equanimity the possibility Of the
Bolsheviki hurting their force against
him Immediately after concluding
peace with Poland and feels confident
Of being able to resist their assault.
Possibilities of Negotiations
M. Strives statement follows:
"Our view on this subject (negotia
tions with the Bolsheviki) has been
stated by me with exhaustive com
pleteness in the declaration made to
the Allied representatives at Spa. We
are guided in our foreign policy by
the fact that General Wrangel's army
at the present moment represents the
only power existing in the territories
of the former Russian Empire carry
ing on an armed struggle against the
Bolsheviki, having freed from their
domination a certain stretch of terri
tory and rentroducing there normal
statehood. With view to a demarca
ton between these territories and the
rest of Russia held by the Bolshevki
and to afford to the government Of
General Wrangel the opportunity for
completing the work he has begun, we
admit the possibility of negotiations
on these subjects.
English government for conference at
London was not unacceptable to u.s.
This, however, on condition that we
participate in such conference as
equals and also that our admission be
not restricted by any preliminary con-
ditions, as, for instance, our withdrawal
from the northern districts of the
Tauride province.
Recognition Is Demanded
"If the form in which the English
government made its proposal is unac-
ceptable to us, then the reply OF the
Bolsheviki to the proposal must pre-
clude all possibility of our participa-
ton in the conference, should it be
called, on conditions offered by the
Communistic government. The Bolshe-
Wiki demand the disarmament of the
army of General Wrangel and its evac-
uation from the Crimea, i. e., complete
liquidation of the anti-Soviet forces in
Russia. Still, we exist de facto, and
recognition of such existence we will
make an absolute condition of our par
ticipation in the work of the confer
ence, should one be held.
eve do of course, admit the posi-
bility that the Bolsheviki, after they
shall have freed a considerable part of
their forces on the Polish front, will
llHg tnem against the army OF Zen
eral Wrangel We regard such a pos
sibility without any undue anxiety, and
the prospects of further armed struggle
against the Bolsheviki are by no means
dark for us. The experience of the last
few years has demonstrated clearly
the fact that the military strength of
the Red army does not play the most
important part in the victories of the
Bolsheviki, but that it is only strong
mainly because of the weakness of the
enemy. Or, to put it more exactly, the
Red army begins to achieve victories
only at the moment when the opposing
troops begin to get demoralized. This
happened also on the front of General
Denikine, where the abandonment of
the front lines by great masses of the
Cossacks played a most Hateful part
tor the volunteer army.
General Wrangel has succeeded in
averting the possibility of similar dan
ger to his own army. His troops, re-
organized by him, are so strong in mo-
rale and discipline that they are al
ready gaining considerable victories
over the Red cavalry, those picked
troops of the Red army which defeated
the Poles"