BOLSHEVISM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17729, 13 September 1919, Page 9

BOLSHEVISM

WITHDRAWAL FROM NORTH RUSSIA. THE CAUSES EXPLAINED. LONDON, September 11. General Maurice, in the Daily News says:— '' TJie arrangements for tho withdrawal from IS orth Russia aro proceeding smoothly, but tho operation is delicate. Prospects, however, are much brighter than a month ago, and the withdrawal should be completed in a few weeks. The behaviour of tho Russians lighting with us has been the chief cause of anxiety since our intention to withdraw y was announced. It is well known that .wo had an ambitious programme lor the _ spring, when it was hoped wo could 0 organise an army, largely composed of Russians, which would be able to advance 3 towards I'etrograd from the north and eastward by tho Vologda railway, and effect a Junction with Ivolchak's right, establishing a sure barrier against Bolshevism. Wo also hoped to "organise a combined Finnish, Lettish, and Esthonian, advance on Petrograd from the west, i Britain supplying tho money and material! j 1 All these plans broke down owing to the j s same cause— the incompetence of the vari- i ous an ti-Po'.sh ovist forces and the impos- j ; sibility of organising an Efficient military I t, force from these troops. •' General Maurice says that LndendorfF's ! i reminiscences finally dispose of the fiction i r that ttie Archangel expedition exercised j _ any influence on the issue of the war. i LudendorfTs reminiscences show that the | Murmansk landing kept only 4000 Ger- ! mans in Finland for four months, while ; the Archangel landing had no effect what- j ever. j General Maurice proceeds: "We have I failed to galvanise the Russians into | energy with the troops and competent j a leaders on the spot, and we are unlikely 1 to be successful if we confine our assist- I ance to advice, money, and material, j J There is not the remotest chance of arriv- I ing at a settlement of the Russian problem during tho next half-year. The only j sensible course is to revise our policy drastically and scientifically, so as to make our commitments square with otir means." j —A. and N.Z. Cable. 1 ALLEGED SECRET AGREEMENT. I AN OFFICIAL DENIAL. LONDON, September 11. The existence of a secret agreement between the British Government .md the North-west Russian Government (abandoning Kolchak) is semi-officially denied. Negotiations occurred, but did not result in an airement. The Dailv Herald states that it believes that the Soviet Government'? request for peace was personally handed bv Lenin to j. a British journalist, Professor Goode, who, when travelling from Moscow, was. \ arrested by the Esthonians at tho request of the British and is now aboard a British ' shin awaiting return to England. [ A deputation of four Russians from Archangel has arrived in England, appealing for tho continuation of British support. The deputation states that the evacuation announced to begin 071 September 7 will be completed in October A and N.Z. Cable. PRESIDENT WILSON ON BOLSHEVISM. - ITS EFFECT IN AMERICA. NEW YORK, September 11. At Billings, Montana, President Wilson, when speaking of the Russian situation, said that the spread of unrest in the [ United States was due to Bolshevist pro- ' paganda. Bolshevism was the dread of

every European statesman. Lenin's apostles were seeking to get control in the United States. It was the people's duty to see that no minority got control, no matter how rich, no matter how poor. —A. and N.Z. Cable. THE NORTH RUSSIAN WITHDRAWAL. MP. CEUECHILL CONTRADICTS RUMOURS. NO CHANGE OF POLICY. LONDON, September 12. (Received Sept. 13, at 0.45 a.m.) Mr Churchill, in an official note, replying to criticisms on the British policy in North Russia, says: The policy accepted by the House of Commons on July 29 is being speedily and punctually pursued. The decisions on -which it is based are irrevocable. There is no reason to suppose that General Rawlinron, who is in supreme commaiKfcpf the British forces at Archangel and Murmansk, will not succeed in his task at an early date. Nevertheless the peculiar difficulty of the withdrawal operation must be realised. The enemy forces on the above-mentioned fronts may well be equal to the combined British and Russian Nationals. The attitude of the latter, who are much more numerous than the British, and also the attitude of the civil population, must inevitably affect the British withdrawal. Thus the task of extricating the British, while injuring the Russian Nationals' subsequent chances as t little as possible, is most complex.—A. and N.Z. and Reuter. |