New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-18
PARTS, Sept. s.
wxHE curtain Of secrecy behind
which the Russian Reds organ

which the Russian Reds organ
ICED the great Soviet army of
1--WE million men which enabled
the military directors of Communism
sosbeat of or defeat all exterior and in
+sricr enemies during the past three
~s.rs. except drought and famine, is
lifted by Trotzky, according to the
Paris organ of Communism, "L'Human-
itS.s which newspaper prints an inter
view with the military director of
Russia.
Trotzky gives great credit for organ
isation to the old officers of the Czarist
regime who turned Reds. The Soviet
army was created as several armies.
and each supported small war council,
which welded the power of life or
death. The defeat of the white" army
in the volga region in 1918 afforded
sufficient enthusiasm to build the
greater armies. Trotzky says:
"The army was instituted in principle
by decree signed January Is, 1918, by
Lenine and his war and naval commits
saires, Dybenko and Podovisky. was
then negotiating the Brest-Lifovsk
peace treaty with Germany as Minister
Of Foreign Affairs, and it was in March
that began my new 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
cannonc. We have an aviation
park. Ten soldiers.
Five sailors. Everything was
in muddle.
"My bureau was at Smolny. PEOPLE
came from. all corners of the country:
Give us shoes! Don't you need g
colonel they asked. It was exactly
like the description made by Lissagaray
o. the War Ministry under the French
Commune. It was not easy to establish
order. had no competence and
thought first of accepting the aid of
foreign missions who hoped to bring
US back into the European war. Even
tually, however, comrade of the party,
Bcntch- Brouevitch, brought his broth
er, Czarist general, to me. asked
him to construct general staff after
putting him under the watch of two
communists. He filed his Office per-
fectly.
Use of Czarist General
Raises Cries of Treason
with his help we began to clear I'D
the situation. But do you see the eff
fsct' A Czarist general? People be-
gan to cry treason and refuse to obey
me. The Central Committee, fortu-
natey, understand me and aided me.
In order to establish discipline we in
nlcted rigorous punishnents.
All sorts of men offered themselves
to ne: Brigands and part brigands.
One man, who came with little troup,
had his pocket full Of gold and watches.
He was shot. There were also spies
and secret agents. Army hygiene had
to be revolutionized.
Everywhere interesting problems
came to light. When a colony had
been established, a local federal in
stinct mixed with it, 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 its feet;
seven regions had been constructed
with their governmental subdivisions,
Inelr cantons and volosts.
\ did not dare to begin with com
pulsory military service; voluntary
service sufficed. We then had about
zoo'o0o men, mostly former soldiers.
ana members of the Jeunesses Com
munists. The Czecho-Slovakian affair.
however, came to our aid.
You remember that adventure? The
esecho-Slovakian divisions of the Aus
srlan army during the war had passed
over into our ranks. We had stationed
them on the volga Stirred up by Saw
NOV and the revolutionary Socialists
snay rebelled and occupied Kazan, Sim
brisk and Samara.
another Czarist Officer
directed Attack on Simirsk
foukhatchevsky, a former Czarist
omcer, converted to Bolshevism when
ne was prisoner in Germany, directed
'ar hrst army against Simirsk; Vat
se''s' Lett, who was our first general
hssime, lead the fifth against Kazan.
ahey were poor armies, having from
quo to 5000 bayonets each.
We modified the Communists first.
'nen SIX classes in the Volga govern
ment' The order was: Victory or
oea'h.' The peasants came in crowds
~ ngnt against the Whites, but they
'acseu confidence in their own forces.
4 was installed in train protected
WIN sand bags and defended by can
non and machine guns. Another train
10siowed carrying 800 cavalry, an air
p.ahe, garage car for FIVE automo-
mes wireless, printing machines; in
isss, little military city.
at the beginning Ssvinkov, Kappel
sao Fortnnatov were so sure of sue
sss snat they had already announced