The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-09-13
Colonel Robins Was Born Adventurer
sIcR !! Of !! uFE IS 1HRillER
Disappearance Just Another CHAPTER

In 1916 he became good Repub-
lican again" when he followed Roose-
welt back into the party to support
Hughes. and in 1920 and 1924 was re-
warded by being made a member of
the Republican national executive
committee.
During this period he was a lead
ing campaigner for the nationwide
Men and Religion Forward Move
ment," and also high in the councils
Of the international Y. M. G. A.,
spreading that organization to foreign
lands.
In June, 1917, when America was
trying desperately to keep the fag-
ging Russians in the war against Ger
many, Robins was commissioned as
major and sent to Russia with the
American Red Cross mission. In No.
vember of that year he was promoted
to lieutenant colonel and made COM
mander Of the relief expedition. In
this job he came to know President
Hoover well.
With his trainloads of food and
clothing. Robins arrived in Russia
while KerenSky-who had overthrown
the czar-was still in power. Trotzky
was in jail then, Lenin was fugi-
tive, but the shadow of Lenin was
soon to swallow Kerensky. It did, in
November of that year, when Rus
sia's millions, dumb in their newfound
freedom, chose Bolshevism as their
future course.
Colonel Robins tried tirelessly to
hold Russia in the war, but the Rus
sian people were tired of fighting.
Through interpreters, he addressed
soldiers in their barracks and arsen-
ais. workers In their factories. Rob-
ms played ball with Lenin, with whom
he alone-among all allied represen-
tatives in Russia-Was able to get on
close terms.
He even spent $4,000 of Americas
money, supplied by the United States
governments wartime committee on
public information, to send secret
Russian agitators into Germany in an
effort to promote a Bolshevik revolu-
ton there and thus cause Germany's
collapse. But all to no avail; in
March, 1918, the treaty of Brest-
Litovsk was signed and Russia was
out Of the war.
y y 4
Shortly before this happened, the
adamant Trotzky had summoned Col
onel Robins to his office and showed
him map as large as the wall of the
room. It showed the locations of ire
mendous stores Of Russian munitions
on the eastern front; vast dumps of
ammunition, cannon that had never
been fired, millions of shells. huge
quantities of war supplies Of every
kind.
In substance, Trotzky said to Rob-
ms:
If the Bolshevik government Is to
succeed, we need efficient railroad
transportation to exchange the prod
ucts Of our farms and our cities. We
need Americans who know how to run
railroads efficiently. If you will send
us those railroad experts, we will give
you all this. If we leave these war
munitions where they are they will be
captured by the Germans"
Washington did not accept the Of
fer. A little later, these great stores
of war supplies did fall into the hands
Of the Germans. A little later still
Z. beginning with the great German
drive of March 81, 1918 this same
shot and shell was used by Germany
to NOW down Americans, Englishmen
and Frenchmen on the western front.
Since the war. Colonel Robins has
been active as a prohibition crusader,
while serving as chairman of the
board of the First National bank at
Brooksville. Fla, where he made his
home. His activities are said to have
bred the bitter enmity of liquor run
ners on the Florida coast.
Despite his close relations with Boil
shevism, Colonel Robins never SUBJ
scribed to its theory of government.
He was even foe of Socialism.
In 1919 a senate committee inves-
tigating Bolshevism in the United
States asked Colonel Robins for his
opinion Of Russia's Bolsheyik leaders.
His reply was:
There are sincere crazy people
everywhere