The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1921-10-28
Trotzky Tells How Great Soviet
Military Force Of 100000
Men Was Organized.
VEIL OF SECRECY IS RAISED
First Created AZ Several Armies, Each
Supported by Small War Council
Which Welded the Power Of
Life and Death.

Paris.-The curtain of secrecy be-
hind which the Russian Reds organ.
ICED the great soviet army of FIVE
million men which enabled the mill
tary directors Of communism to beat
Off or defeat all exterior and inte-
rior enemies during the past three
years, except drought and famine, Is
lifted by Trotzky, according to the
Paris organ OF Communism, Thu.
mantle" which newspaper prints an
interview with the military director
for Russia.
Trotzky gives credit for organiza.
ton to the old officers Of the czarist
regime who turned reds. The soviet
army was created as several armies,
and each supported small war coun-
Gil, which welded the power of life
or death. The defeat Of the "White"
army In the volga region in 1918 af.
forded sufficient enthusiasm to build
the greater armies. Trotzky says:
''The army was instituted in prln-
ciple by a decree signed January 10,
1918, by Lenin and his war and naval
commissaries, Dybenko and Podovis.
ky. was then negotiating the Brest-
Litovsk peace treaty with Germany as
minister of foreign affairs. and 1t was
in March that / began my duties.
"There was nothing left of the old
army then; men had gone home. the
materials lay scattered everywhere,
abandoned where the trains happened
to stop. The local soviets, barely or
ganized, telegraphed me we have ten
cannon. i. We have an nvi-
alton PARK Ten soldiers. :.
Five sailors. 80 Everything was In
a muddle.
my bureau was at Smolny. People
came from all corners of the country:
Give us shoesl Don't you need a
colonel2 they asked. 1t was exact.
ly like the description made by Lis.
sagaray Of the war ministry under
the French commune. 1t was not easy
to establish order. had no compe-
tence and thought first of accepting
the aid Of foreign missions who hoped
to bring us back into the European
war. Eventually, however, comrade
brought his brother czarist general.
to me. asked him to construct
general STAFF after putting him under
the watch Of two communists. He
nlled his Office perfectly.
Raises Cries Of Treason.
with his help we began TO clear
up the situation. But do you see the
effect7 A czarist general7 People be-
gan to cry treason and refuse to obey
me. The central committee, fortu-
pntely, understood me and aided me.
n order to establish discipline we In
dicted rigorous punishments.
"Ail sorts Of men offered themselves
TO me: BrIgands and part brigands.
One man, who came with little troop.
had his pocket full of gold and watch.
%. He was shot. There were also
spies and secret agents. Army n.y.
eiene had to be revolutionized.
Everywhere interesting problems
came to light. When colony had
been established, local federal In.
stinct mixed with II. with the result
that we would have an army Of the
town of Tver or Of Vladimir. The
general disgust Of militarism every
where hindered all cooperation.
FINALLY In May the essential part
Of the apparatus was put on It's feet !:
seven regions had been constructed
with their governmental subdivisions,
their caDtons and volosts.
at dId.not dare to begin with COM
'puIsory military service: voluntary
service sufficed. We then had about
100000 men. mostly former soldiers,
and members Of the Jeunesses com
munists. The Cxecho- SIoynkIan az
hfr. however. came to our aid
Yer remember that sdventursS