Evening Post. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1920. AN ANGLO-FRENCH RIFT

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 38, 13 August 1920, Page 6

Evening Post. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1920. AN ANGLO-FRENCH RIFT

Concerning the report that the French Government has agreed to give General Wrangel's South Russian Administration military support (troops excepted) against the Bolsheviks, the great, bulk'of'cabled opinion is-, that such a step divides Britain and France, placing France definitely for and Britain definitely against.\a renewal of the war against Bolshevism in Bolshevik Russia. In a further statement in the House of Commons, the British Prime Minister neither corrected nor confirmed this deduction, but he indirectly strengthened it by professing amazement and by refusing to believe that the report or France's action towards Wrangel is correct. As this is being written, however, news comes -that the French Embassy in London has received- official confirmation of France's recognition •oi, Wrangel, and the bulk of the unofficial evidence is- that France has definitely departed .from ;thej Hythe agreement ( as-, interpreted to the House of Commons by Mr. Lloyd George, and has adopted support of Wrangel as a fixed policy, and not merely as a tentative, retaliatory, step that might be taken should Bolshevism refuse fair terms to Poland. A~ somewhat different version, it is_truej is put forward by the Daily Telegraph, which suggests that French support of Wrangel is not'a spoke' suddenly an<? intentionally thrust into the wheels of Polish-Bolshevik peace. It has, says the Daily Telegraph, been known for some time that France was willing" to recognise Wrangel Mf he acknowledges) Russia'/? liability for Russian debts to France; and, on Wrangel giving- this assurance, recognition and support have automatically followed. But, while this explanation tends to put French diplomatic method in a more favcuraSTe light, it does not attempt to deny that a direct conflict appears to have arisen between Britain and France on the grave issue ol war or no war with tho' Bolsheviks for the recovery of Tsaristic Russia's debts to France.

Arguing from these premises, it is assumed by some commentators that Britain and Italy now stand in conflict, on (.the Russian question, with. France and the United States. Certainly, 'there is authoritative evidence that Italy is even more anxious than Britain for peace with Bolshevik Russia, and that France is more keen than' anybody els© for war. But while the United States Government is at one with the French Government in opposing the recognition of the Soviet Government, will President Wilson'go so' far as to approve substantial military support, to the anti-Bolshevik forces? If he is prepared to do so, then the I/nited States willy-stand in line with France, but it would be at least strange to find the United States Government materially supporting the South Russian movement of Wrangel when, so far as is known, it did not correspondingly support the South Russian movement of Denikin. Mr. Lloyd George put many millions behind Denikin, got tired\jf it, and then worked for some sort of a compromise with Bolshevism. If the United States'• Government is now' prepared .to come forward with tho additional millionsj that appear to be required, and is prepared to go into financial alliance with France to overthrow Bolshevism, Britain presumably will have no objection ; but Washington's recent attitudes, and political events, in tho States, hardly suggest that such- a- sudden open-pocketedness is likely to materialise so far as the Americans are concerned. The alternative apparently would ba that France would go alone, morally supported by the- United States in refusal to recognise the Soviet Government. "">'

It further appears that the United States Government would like to see not only a new Russian Government, but a Russia restored in all its parts except 1 Poland, Finland, and a portion of Armonia.v That is to say, President Wilson is against an independent Esthonin, or Latvia, or Lithuania, or TJkrninia, or Georgia. Though lie was » party to the Balkanisation. of Middle Europe, he is against it in lln.ssia, and if his policy,is successful, tl:e restored Russia, will l:e the better able, economically, to shoulder her v,-ai and pre-war debts. But—once ■fi;,'ii:ii--will the United Slnf-.es put in a >'«Hl punch, apart, from talk', to over-, throw Bolshevism and to brills.' about the RiUMHn rnKm'atonii Uihi- tin? retiring Pr*' sident eontemnlates; - . '