Paris Peace Conf. 184.011102/155
Mr. Albert Halstead to the Commission to Negotiate Peace
[Received July 21.]
Subject: A journalist’s view of Bolshevism and its plans.
Sirs: I have the honor to inform the Commission that Count Christian Holstein, representative of the very well known Copenhagen journal Politiken who has spent six weeks in Budapest, where his investigations have not converted him to Bolshevism, has been good enough to tell me of his impressions of the Bolshevik movement there and its future plans. Count Holstein was also in Russia during the early stages of the Lenine regime. From talks with Bela Kun, Samueli and other of the Bolshevik leaders he is convinced of the unity of purpose of the Russian and Hungarian movements. According to his judgment Lenine and Bela Kun are endeavoring to work out a very carefully prepared plan with a view to making the Bolshevist theory a real success, which success it has so far failed to attain. Both in Russia and in Hungary the greatest need is for raw materials, the absence of which makes impossible a full test of the new doctrine which Lenine and Bela Kun seek to secure. Accordingly their purpose is to conquer countries from which raw materials can be obtained, Germany—that is conquer it by propaganda and force. It is claimed that the Russian troops which are being utilized against [Page 612] Koltchak, Denikine and Finland are not the real Bolshevik Army, but that the flower of the army, comprising one million well armed men, is to be found in the vicinity of Kiev. Despite the anxiety of Trotsky and other aggressive Bolsheviks, and notwithstanding the eagerness of similar leaders in Hungary, the plan of Lenine, whose best disciple Bela Kun is, is to wait until the armies of England, France and Italy are demobilized. When that is done and it is impossible for the troops of these countries to be utilized against Bolshevism without their being called into service and reorganized, it is proposed to move this Bolshevik army westward. They have no belief in the efficiency of the armies of either Poland or Roumania. The Polish Army they believe is not sufficiently strong, while the Roumanians they regard as certain to run if strongly attacked.
During this period of waiting, efforts have been directed towards spreading Bolshevism, not only in Germany but in German-Austria and Czecho-Slovakia. Bela Kun declared a couple of weeks before the attempt to overthrow the government in Vienna on June 15th that the overthrow of the German-Austrian government was certain. Count Holstein says, however, that they miscalculated the strength of the Government here, which really meant the courage and efficiency of the Police President of Vienna. At that time Bela Kun was satisfied with the progress being made in Prague, and since then in both cities, so he admitted, the Communist propaganda was continuing. With Roumania, Poland, Czecho-Slovakia and German-Austria in the Bolsheviks’ hands they believe that Germany would easily be turned to Bolshevism, and then the Bolshevist movement would for the time being halt at the Rhine. For the army of France they have the greatest respect, but they believe that from Germany propaganda in Italy, France and England would rapidly bring the time when Bolshevism would succeed there. They plan to secure from Germany coal and other raw materials which are absolutely essential for them to put into practical effect their doctrine of government manufacturing. Without coal and other raw materials they are able to tell their supporters that the lack of raw materials makes the success of the new industrialism impossible.
Bela Kun is the real leader in Hungary, but under him is a mob of bureaucrats consisting almost exclusively of Jews who lack administrative capacity and who in a state of great excitement accomplish nothing, days being lost through the necessity of complying with bureaucratic forms. The administration of public affairs and of the factories which are busy with war work is inefficient. The army is, however, well disciplined, though Bela Kun’s insistence upon withdrawing his troops in reply to the Clemenceau note74 weakened the [Page 613] discipline temporarily. Every effort is made to appeal to the national spirit of Hungary and to hold in the army those who are not Bolsheviks at heart on the plea that their presence there is imperative in order that Hungary may be protected from the surrounding states who are her enemies. Count Holstein expresses the belief that given raw materials Bolshevism would soon prove itself incapable of administration and would fall by reason of its own failure to make good, but admits that the following of such a plan would naturally involve some dangers.
I think I should add that the opinions expressed above are those of Count Holstein and are forwarded without comment save that the reports of the taking of Kiev by the Ukrainian troops would seem to indicate an exaggerated idea on the part of the Bolsheviks of the strength of their army which was reported in that vicinity.
I have [etc.]
- Appendix I to CF–52, vol. vi, p. 246.↩