The Washington times., 1922-05-18

1
ing comedy ever
| "a played in Wash
ssssssssssssss.ssys - ng [ o n. Mr..
4 b a h m . IT
WILLIAM HARD came here in
1917 on a diplomatic shoestring. He
did not really have even KerenslSy
behind him. Kerensky was SO weak
| In Russia that he lasted only few
months. But the people who started
Mr.. Bakhmeteff to the United States
| as Russian ambassador In 1917 were
people like Miliukoff, who ran the
Russian government just before
Kerensky took hold Of II and who
were so weak in Russia that they
lasted only a few weeks.
That was all that Mr.. Bakhmeteff
had to start with. To call 1t a shoe.
string is to exaggerate 1t. Mr..
Bakhmeteffs friends in Russia had
| fallen before he even arrived in the
| United States. Kerensky was 80
| busy in Russia trying not to fall
that he had no time to send anybody
| to succeed Mr.. Bakhmeteff. Then
In a very few months along came
| Mr.. Lenin in Russia, with a great
talent for refusing TO fall, and he
was keen to get rid OF Mr.. Bakhme-
teff; but by that time Mr.. Bakhme-
teff had invented his great idea.
Senator Borah does not seem to he
able to grasp that great idea. but Mr..
Bakhmeteff grasped 1t and by means
OF II he built up his diplomatic shoe
string into a thriving permanent
embassy business. Mr.. Bakhmeteff
let II be known that he represented
the Real Russia" Mr.. Lenin might
have Moscow. Mr.. Lenin might have
the valley OF the Volga. Mr.. Lenin
might have the Caucasus and in
| time might have also the Trans-Cau-
casus. Mr.. Lenin might have all Of
! the physical Russia. 1t would make
no difference. Mr.. Bakhmeteff rep
resented the Real Russia"
The State Department agreed with
him. The State Department was
badly in need OF n Real Russia" 1t
did not like any of the Russians who
were able to stay in power In the
physical Russia. 1t needed a Russia
which would say to the people Of the
United States: The Russian policy
Of the State Department is fine and
grand" Mr.. Bakhmeteff was that
| Russia So the State Depart
ment handed over to Mr.. Bakhmeteff
the guardianship of all the supplies
which had been bought in this coun'
try for Kerensky with the many
millions of dollars which this country
had loaned to Kerensly for the prose.
% 81 N,aaf n no
Having the guardianship Of these
supplies, Mr.. Bakhmeteff proceeded
to liquidate them; and out Of the
proceeds of the liquidating Of them
he maintained himself and his staff
for the purpose Of continuing the
liquidation. Thus Mr.. Bakhmeteff,
who no longer needed any physical
government in Russia to appoint
him, because he represented the
Real Russia" ceased also to need
any physical government in Russia
to support him, because the money
for supporting him came out Of
America.
In return for these courtesies
from the State Department, Mr..
Bakhmeteff advised the State De-
partment and advised the United
States as to the genuine and real
situation in Russia. Through a
propagandist paper, for instance,
called Struggling Russia" he ad-
vised the United States that the
wise thing to do was to get in
behind Kolchak. The Real Rus
sia" was for Kolchak. 1t seems
that II was. Kolchak got defeated,
captured and executed. In Russia
the representatives of the Real
Russia" are highly unpopular. That
Is why so mnay Of them stay in
Washington.
Having then been so successful
| in advising us about olchak-and
also about Denikin-and also about
Yudenitch-and also about all the
other Real Russians" whom the
Russian embassy In Washington so
steadily admires and whom the
Russian government in Russia so
steadily extirpates-Mr. Bakhmeteff
now advises us to be sure to re-
frain from entering into any trade
relations with the unreal" Rus
slams who at present seem to be
in office in Moscow; and the State
Department, having found Mr..
Bakhmeteff's advice so good in the
past, finds it good still.
The last act in this splendid ef-
fort Of diplomatic humor will come
presently when Mr.. Mellon, as the
head Of the European debt refund
ing commission, begins to try to
collect our debt from from Russia.
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