The New York herald., 1921-03-24
LENINE CONVERSION
BDOUBTED BY pip
Rather Is He Forced Into
Change of Policy, Says
Esth0nian Minister.
a MORAL COUP D'ETAT'
Is Not Sincere, but VIII Be Un-
able to Lead Russia Back
to Bollshevism.
a MORAL COUP D'ETAT'
ny CAPT. FRANCIS MouLLAGH.

Special Cobis 10 The New YosK HERALD
Copyright, 1921, by THE NEW YosK HERALD.
REyAL. March 23.-M. Pip, Es-
thonian Foreign Minister. to-day char
acterized the conversion" OF Nikolai
Lenine. Russian Bolshevist Premier,
from Bolshevism as merely a moral
coup d'etat." In view of the report
of Lenine's speech before the Tenth
Communist Congress in Moscow, in
which he showed the impractica biiity
OF Bolshevism as he advocated it for
merry and which was contained in an
exclusive despatch in THE NEW YORK
HERALD Of last Sunday. NJ. Piip's opin-
Ion is important. He is great expert
on Russian affairs. having lived in
that country for a long time and now
who communicates with him daily in
cipher. He also receives weekly re-
ports in a sealed diplomatic bag.
VI. Pip sees Esthonian business men
on their return from Moscow to this
country. and II was ". Taube, head of
the Esthoninn Railway Works, who has
just returned here from Moscow. who
gave the Foreign Minister here de-
scription of Lenine's volte face as
moral coup detat." Thus NJ. Pip is
IN a better position to judge Moscow
than are those Governments which are
not represented In the Soviet capital
save by secret agents. who are pessimis-
tic, since they want TO keep their jobs.
Action Forced on Lcnine.
Information received by THE NEW
York HERALD correspondent here makes
him think that Lenine has not been
"couverted' from Bolshevlsm, and
neither is the Bolshevist Premier !nsln-
cere. Instead he has been forced by
events 10 change his policy. and he win
be unable TO return TO Bolshevism once
Russia tastes the sweets OF free trade
and the capitalist system.
Lcnine's abandonment OF the univer-
sal revolution chimera and his eonces-
sions to the peasants and workers
constitute the thin edge OF a wedge,
NJ. Pip agrees. but he says the change
will be gradual. VI. Pip Is a Bolshi-
phobe. similar In his political views TO
Herbert II. Asquith. one-time British
Prime Minister, and he holds that Lenine
could not concede at this time more than
he has without offending the Bolsheviki.
This view Of Lenines conversion" is
borne out by the latest news from Mos
COW. which shows that while the Soviet
Premier went long way toward ad-
mitting the previous mistakes OF Boil
shevism he is still kicking against the
anti Bolsheyist character OF the agents
which Great Britain has appointed 10
go into Russia
Further reports OF Lenine's speech be-
fore the Tenth Communist Congress in
Moscow quote him as saying:
TT was a mistake for us 70 carry on
an offensive against Poland last year.
We had overestimated our food supply.
Out Of 235.000. 900 pools Of wheat We
had on February l. 1920. We spent In
the first half OF the year 155,o00.oo0
pools. In distributing this wheat we
underestimate the food crisis IN the
spring, and yielded too readily TO the de-
mands OF the hungry workmen for In
creased ratlons."
He warned the labor unions that the
situation now vas as dangerous as II
was during the Kolchak and the Yuoe-
mitch periods and promised the peasants
they would bo allowed unrestrictedly 10
devote all their time TO their own farms.
and that their produce would be taxed
only in kind. which would leave them
ample for their own subsistence.