861.00/3927
The Russian Chargé (Ughet) to the Acting Secretary of
State
Washington, February 19,
1919.
My Dear Mr. Polk: I have the honor to transmit herewith
paraphrases of two cables61 received by the Russian Embassy from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Omsk, and the Russian Ambassador,
Paris.
I have [etc.]
[Page 71]
[Enclosure]
The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs at Omsk to the Russian
Embassy at Washington
News of the decision of the Peace Conference which has proposed the
meeting on Prince’s Islands was received by the Omsk Government on
January 24. We entertained no doubts as to the entire
unacceptability of this proposal. The Government immediately
rejected any possibility of an agreement with the Bolsheviks as well
as any negotiations with them. Respective instructions were
transmitted by us to Paris and at the same time considered it
necessary, in conformity with the request of our Paris Committee, to
withhold from hasty public declarations until the causes and motives
of the Allied powers had been elucidated. Henceforth, the Government
made only one statement aiming to tranquilize the public anxiety in
Russia. Simultaneously, the commander in chief issued an order to
the troops in which he, in the most decisive terms, denied the
possibility of an armistice. At the same time, Sazonoff, in Paris,
made a number of declarations in which he pointed to the
impossibility of our participation in negotiations at which the
Bolsheviks would be present. Meanwhile, public opinion in Russia had
the opportunity of expressing itself—the Government, on behalf of
socialistic, non-socialistic, cooperative, commercial and industrial
as well as other groups sent abroad a number of statements
expressing the unanimous and decisive condemnation of any
negotiations with the Bolsheviks. The Russian universities made
respective appeals to the scientific bodies of Europe and America.
The temporary supreme ecclesiastical body sent messages to all the
Christian bishops emphasizing the religious persecutions by the
Bolsheviks and the necessity for help.
The moment has now arrived when the official reply of the Government
will be transmitted by Sazonoff, in Paris, such reply being
formulated in consideration of existing conditions and in accordance
with Ekaterinodar and Archangel.
There will also be issued a special declaration for wide publicity in
Russia which explains the very essence of our irreconcilable
struggle against Bolshevism.
