The New York herald., 1922-05-05
TROTZKY SEES PERIL.
AHEAD FOR FRANCE
Declares Nation Is Approach
ing Greatest Catastrophe
in Worlds History.

Moscow, May (Associated Press) -
The developments at Genoa having
made it clearly evident" that the Euro
pean diplomatists have misunderstood
what has happened there, said Leon
Trotzky. the Soviet War Minister, to-
day. Americas carefulness in remain
ing outside the conference perhaps was
right In that 1T gives America the pos
sibility better to orientate itself and more
correctly solve the problems which Genoa
has presented"
In a frank presentation Of Russia's
position, in which he went deeply and
concsely into the principles at stake,
NJ. Trotzky declared he doubted that the
non-success OF the conference would
mean the beginning of military opera
tions against Russia, but 1t would mean
that the Soviet economic work would
progress more slowly than Russia had
wished and than it might have done.
THE leading European diplomatists,"
he continued, appear still to consider
that the labor revolution in Russia is
not the beginning of a new and his
torical world epoch. but a mere tenn
porary change of one form of property
for another. They thought by force to
induce us to the old forms of property,
but this failed and now they are de-
manding that we pay indemnity Tor
the revolution on the basis of the legal
forms and calculations of capitalistic
society.
This is as foolish as il we should
demand at Genoa that European capi-
talists on the basis of our forms of
property, should hand over their fac
tories. works banks and mines to the
collective management Of the working
classes.
1.-TWO systems of property are carry
ing on pourparlers at Genoa. separate
agreements and separate deals between
them are possible on the pure prac-
tical considerations called forth by the
advantages on both sides. Notwith-
standing the almost five year lesson,
the leading European diplomatists mis-
understood this. ~
Collapse of the Genoa conference
would mean not only retardation OF So
Wet economic work, but ruination OF
the economics of Europe would proceed
quicker than Is believed by the present
directors Of Europe's fate.
Regarding France, 1t is evident to
serious observers that she is approach
ing the greatest catastrophe in the
world, which will begin with finance.
The present French policy is a. policy
of despair. One cannot take IL serious
ly into account, and, in any case, one
could not follow 1t.
America remained outside the con-
ference. Perhaps this carefulness was
right. in the sense that America per-
ceived the possibility better to orientate
itself and solve the question more cor
rectly. Naturally this solution is i'm
possible on the lines Secretary Hughes
tried to fix--that is, debating to us which
forms of property and what methods Of
legislation and management we ought
to inaugurate in our own country.
For such advice and such counsel
we did not and do not intend to goi
to Genoa and even less across the
ocean. But we firmly count on the
triumph OF business common sense, first
OF all in America and afterwards In
Europe. Genoa is not the last word
in the pourparlers. Perhaps in the event
of a breakup of the Genoa conference
there will come certain interval, but
the pourpariers would be resumed some
time later, more energetically and much
more businesslilSe. Soviet Russia is pre-
pared for this. / doubt that non-suc-
cess of the Genoa conference would
mean the beginning of hostilities against
us.
1--WE proposed disarmament they re-
fused, and. instead, proposed that we
p&y big sums to foreign capitalists who
have made much money out of the
exploitation OF the labor of Russian
workers. We refuse. Could 1t be thought
that the Government OF any country
would succeed In throwing against us
ITS army in order to punish us for this
that we want peace and do not want
to pay tribute to foreign capitalists?
II do not believe in Intervention. II,
however, it comes. the Red army will
fulfill its duty"