The New York herald., 1921-01-23
BOLSHEVK FLOCK
TOBALTIC FRONT,
ALARMING LET'S
Various Explanations Of
fered for Concentration of
Troops on Border.
POLES ARE REASSURED
But Overlook Fact Men Are
Less Dangerous to Soviet
on Frontier.
COPYING ZELLGOWSKY
Lithuanians Feel Certain a
Conflict Is Coming With
POLES ARE REASSURED
COPYING ZELLGOWSKY
Lithuanians Feel Certain a
Conflict Is Coming With
Reds i'm Spring.
ny CAPT. FRANCIS MccuLLAcH.

By CAPT. FRANCIS McCULLAGH.
Special Correspondence Of TIE NEW YORK
HERALD.
Copyright, 1921, by THE NEW YORK HERALD.
SHAWL, Lithuania, Jan. J.-The con-
centration of Red troops on the from
tiers of Poland and the Baltic States
is denied by nobody, but various eX-
plantations are offered to account for
it. Trotzky offers the same explana-
ton as Mr.. Churchill offers with re-
gard to the 100000 British troops in
ireland. "They might as well be there
as anywhere else," he says, and other
Bolsheviki add that there is better
barrack accommodation for these
troops on the borders Of the Baltic
States and Poland than there is In
central Russia
The Poles, who all try to take a very
leassuring view of this concentration,
explain that there is more food ana
fuel on the outskirts of Russia than in
the centre, and they might have added
that unemployed Red troops are less
likely to be a danger to the SOVIET
Government on the Baltic frontier
than in Moscow. They make light OF
all the excitement about these con-
centrations and Insist that there is
really nothing to be alarmed about.
Some of them even go so far as to
throw out a hint that the whole men
ace" is a piece of adroit stage man
.,P {.it1IIan-
i;,ns and the BolsheviN. in order 10
make Zellgowsky clear out OF Vilna.
On the other hand. the Lithuanians
quite sincerely assure me that they nave
had nothing to do with Joffe's dictatorial
note regarding wilma and that they
would view the capture of that place py
the Reds as a crowning misfortune. They
are quite certain that there Is no ex-
aggeration and no "bluff' about the Red
preparations on their frontier for their
agents are bringing them the most pre-
else details Of it, and their Minister to
Moscow, who recently arrived In kovno,
has ascertained by personal observation
that great military activity prevails
among the Reds in the munition factories
at Moscow and on the Lithuanian front.
Let's More Credible.
the Poles who say 1t Is all a bluff. or
the Lithuanians, who say 1t is deadly
earnest? The Bolsheviki. as / have just
pointed out, deny that any special mean
ing attaches to all this military activity,
but / must add that very many OF them
hint that It Is in connection with Zell-
Cowsl<y's presence in Wilma, and that
matters may take a very serious turn III
Zellgowsky and the Poles do not go
away before spring.
The scale of probability is. I think,
turned In favor of the Lithuanian theory
by the following facts among others
I1) There Is no good barrack accommo-
dation I'm the frontier villages which the
Red troops now occupy. while there is
excellent barrack accommodation In
Moscow. (2) Phlegmatic and impartial
neutrals. like the Let's and the Estho-
mans. are as much excited about the
Bolshevist concentration as the Lithua-
mans are.
Gen. Radzinsh. Lettish military
writer OF distinction. has written Sc
res of articles in a Lettish newspaper
on this subject. whereof he takes the
gloomest possible view. He starts by
saying that large aggregations OF the
Red army are concentrated near the
eastern frontier of Lettland, being
grouped near Psltov Ostrova. Sebezhe
and PolotslS. Among them are many
Iettish and Esthonian Communists.
ain addition to this" continued Gen.
Radzinsh. I'VE learn from Trustworthy
sources that the whole Sixth army of
Soviet Russia is now marching to take
IN a position on the Latvian frontier.
The Soviet Government explains the de-
spatch of all these troops by the In
sufliciency of the barrack accommoda-
tons In other parts of Russia. though In
time of peace no troops at all used to
he stationed in these districts with the
exception Of three infantry regiments at
I'skov. on the contrary. there are in
central Russia very many barracks
and we would have thought that 1t
would have been In every way advan-
tageous for the Russians TO quarter
their troops In the old barracks Instead
of doing so, however. the Soviet Govern
ment finds II more convenient to trans
fer its soldiers to the Latvian border
and to make them winter I'm poor dis
trict where there are few houses and
no barracks at ALL"
Outline of Attack.
Gen. Radzinsh then considers what
would happen supposlng a Zellgowsky
were to arise among the Red troops on
the Lettish frontier and to lead few
divisions OF Red Let's against Riga.
Now that the streams and marshes are
frozen, such troops. especially the cav
airy. could advance very rapidly, and as
all tho telegraph and telephone wires
would be cut by agents OF the Reds in
side Latvia. while most of the Lettish
troops on the frontier would be cut off
owing to the suddenness and unexpect-
edness of the aggression. the Lettish
Government would not for some time
know exactly what had happened. Gen
Radzlnsh traces with great care the
progress OF the three columns into
which the enemy force is supposed TO be
divided and the work of the strong
force of cavalry by which II would be
preceded.
Then he asks what would be hap
pening all this time in Riga?" and inn
mediatoly proceeds to answer his own
question as follows early In the morn
ING vague account of the enemy's
CROSSING of the frontier would have
reached Riga. and our Ministry of For
oign Affairs would at once despatch a
note TO the Minister of Soviet Russia.
The latter would answer that he was
without information on the subject but
that he would Immediately communicate
In kr of q