Omaha daily bee., 1921-03-27
Poor Disciple
Big Hindrance
ToSoviet Navy
Details of Revolt in kronstadt
Against Bolshevik Admin.
istration Learned by
Correspondent.
By The Associated Press.

Stockholm, March 2o.-Details Of
the beginning of the revolt in Kron-
stadt against the bolshevik admins
tration and circumstances forming
a background against which this
episode can be seen and judged have
been learned by the correspondent
from well-informed sources.
Since the bolshevik revolution,
kronstadt had a tendency to develop
into a dependent soviet republic.
Under szarism, navy discipline was
stricter than in the army, but since
the revolution, lack of discipline
among the sailors has been hard to
check. In Kronstadt the sailors
lived in officers private villas and
idled in officers clubs, avoiding all
drills and enjoying a paradise as
long as they were supplied with food
and clothes from Petrograd.
General Denikine, Admiral Kol-
chak, General Yudenitch and General
Wrangle, anto-bolshevik leaders, had
to be fought on land and it was nee
essary to establish a bolshevik army
but not navy. But Trotzky only
awaited the proper opportunity to
make the Russian navy as satisfac-
tory as the army.
Navy Useless.
The soviet government had a pro-
gram that the Baltic sea must be-
come and remain Russian lake and
declared that the Aland island uues-
tion proved this. 1t has been re-
peatedly contended from the Russian
side that any international agreement
regarding the Alands would be in
valid unless signed by Russia.
During the Yudinitch offensive
against Petrograd in 1919, the Kron-
stadt navy was useless owing to the
absence of discipline. Trotzky start
ed its reorganization when the
Yudenltch adventure was ended. H.
declared that the red flag should fly
from warships aleng the ,Raltie II.
twas from these dsys the conflict be-
tween Trotzky and the sailors dated.
The sailors hated discipline.
Finally, Trotzky reduced the food
supplies. The sailors had recourse
to requisitioning foodstutfs outside
Petrograd, which caused disturb
ances which were given the color OF
counter revolution. The sailors
are declared 10 have only wanted
to be masters on their island.
Sailors Retahate. ..
The tension became more severe,
when Trotzky, late in February, cut
food supplies to minimum. The
sailors rctaliated by destroying the
railroad leading from Petrograd to
Moscow and marching over the ice
toward Oranienbaum. This moment
was seized on by anti-bolshevik Gle
ments and serious uprisings were ar
ranged in Petrograd simultaneously
rations were reduced to the minimum
in Petrograd and elsewhere.
The so-called Intelligent" element
adopted a waiting attitude.
The peasants are mainly against
the soviet administration, but are
suspicious of any new movement
which they are not sure will pro-
tect their interests.
Under such circumstances it was
easy for Trotzky to crush the riS-
ings. He had, however, first to crush
Kronstadt, for which the third army
and not the seventh, was sent against
the fortress. Trotzky's first attack
was failure, but he adopted other
methods. By sham attacks he al
lowed part of his troops to run over
to the enemy and at night launched
his main attack, during which the
defenders were attacked from behind
by the sham deserters.