6 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE Saturday, February 1, 1919 Tchitcherin Report to the Fifth Soviet Congress, July, 1918 Translated from the De Nieuwe Tijd, the Dutch left wing Socialist magasine, by Auerhaan.
II not take any part in the responsibility of the admin the latter part of April and the beginning of May, istration of the occupied district as long as the Ger containing pressing inquiries as to their exact intenTHE relations of Russia to the states of Central man government insisted upon deposing all Sovi tions in relation to Fort Ino, resulted in the comEurope were determined by the peace treaty of ets and continued to destroy traces of the Soviet sys mencement of negotiations to reach a compromise.
Brest Litovsk, and the principal part of our tem. The question of the internal administration of (Note: Fort Ino is one of those forts which threaten policy in relation to Germany was to execute this the occupied sections had also to be referred to the Petrograd. treaty. The indistinctness, the as yet undecided agree Political Conmission in Berlin.
When, despite the negotiations, the Finnish troops ments and the imperfection of the treaty of Brest The military advance of the Germans after the demanded the immediate surrender of Fort Ino, and encouraged the exponent of the annexationist policy treaty of Brest Litovsk occurred in two directions: the Fort was destroyed by the retreating Russian to develop this policy still further, with regard to in Finland and in the Ukraine. After the Russian Re troops, the German government at last proposed as Russia.
public had submitted to the peace treaty of Bresta basis for an agreement with Finland: the return of The treaty of Brest is not distinct as to the bound Litovsk and had recalled her troops from Finland, the town of Ino. upon the condition that this place aries of the territory occupied by Germany, and yet there remained in Finland but few Russian citizens and the district Ravoli (on the railroad, exactly it determined that at the moment of the signing of the who, upon their own responsibility, took part in the of Petrograd) in the vicinity of Bjetvostrof treaty all further progress should cease. The treaty struggle of the Finnish working class. At the mo should not be enforced by the Russians, and upon the leaves the situation of territories occupied by Ger ment of the invasion of German troops into Finland, condition that we abandon the western part of the many an open question. The territory of the Ukraine and thereafter, we received continual threatening notes Murman regions, which the Germans and Finns had is not defined, and the question of the boundaries of from the German government claiming that we had invaded, to Finland. Our acceptance of this as a the Ukraine, together with the uncertainty of where sent troops and munitions to Finland. But every time basis for an agreement led to the discontinuation of the German troops would stop, was an extremely when the occupations complained of in the notes were the critical situation of May. However, notwithdangerous one. The indistinct, contradictory, and investigated we found that in reality they did not ex standing this, Finland still continued to refuse to somewhat impracticable stipulations concerning the ist. They merely served the Germans as a motive answer our proposal to enter into mutual negoRussian ships creates the possibility for new demands for delaying the cessation of military measures. The tiations.
from Germany and the Ukraine upon Russia. Be notes served to justify the government of the Finnish The separation of Esthonia and of the northern sides there was the possibility of going still further White Guards when they refused to liberate the Rus part of Courland from Russia is in no way the result than the stipulations, under the pretext of self deter sian citizens, Kamjenef, Sawitski and Wolf, who were of the treaty of Brest Litovsk, because this treaty mination.
returning from Sweden and were arrested at the Aland only provided for the temporary occupation by GerThe simplest method was to accept a fictitious Islands. The Finns pointed to our violations of the many of these parts. Already on the 28th of January right of self determination in the regions ocupied Brest Litovsk treaty when bands of White Guards in there was delivered to our representative Worofski by Germany. In fact, we had already received a re vaded Karelie and the Murman regions, the south in Stockholm a declaration from the land owners port concerning the self determination of Dwinsk west half of the former having been a part of Russia and barons of Esthonia and Courland concerning the (on the railroad from Warsaw to Petrograd and from for two hundred years, and the latter being wholly independence of these provinces. After that, Riga to Moscow, Warsaw in Poland and Riga in Russian.
meetings of the landowners and barons were held Courland being under German control) who desired The German government constantly reminded us in Esthonia and Courland, and in Riga, the capital to become part of Courland. We also heard from the that we are compelled, according to the treaty of Brest, of Courland. on March 22, and at Reval, the capital delegation in the White Ruthenian regions (the gove to reach an agreement with Finland, and the Russian of Esthonia, on March 28, they decided on the conernments of Grodno, Vilna, Vitebsk, Smolensk, Soviet Government declared their willingness time vocation of congresses, These congresses were held Mohilef and Minsk the region between Warsaw to a and again, despite the extreme provocative acts of the in Riga and Reval on April 10, and they accepted short distance from Moscow) that they wished to Finnish White Guards. remind you of the shooting the declaration as to the separation from Russia. On withdraw from the sovereignty of Russia.
of thousands of Russians in Wyborg, of the many ex the 19th of May, our representative Joffe received Section of the treaty of Brest provides that a ecutions of Russian citizens, even of official members notice to that effect through the office of the German special commission determine the boundaries of those of the Soviets in Finland. remind you of the arrest Minister of Foreign Affairs.
regions that withdrew from Russia. When this com of Kowanko, the commander of Sweaborg, the RusIn this note of May 28th, addressed to the Minister mission convened at Pakov (between Dwinsk and sian fortress on the Island of Helsingfors, the capital of Foreign Affairs. Joffe called attention to the fact Petrograd) it was empowered, by the consent of both of Finland, of whose appointment Finland was duly that the action taken in Riga and Reval was in reality governments to determine definitely the boundaries of informed through our representative ad interim and but the expression of a comparatively small part of the regions occupied by Germany. However, after the the agency of the German government. Kowanko first session of this commission, their work was inter was arrested immediately afterwards and had to sub by a real and general unhampered expression of all the people of Courland and Esthonia and that only rupted, and has not been continued since.
mit to an investigation, and up to this date, July 19, the people, under the condition of the withdrawal of The following proposition was submitted by the 1918, has not yet been liberated. remind you also of the army of occupation could the basis of self deterGermans: that the basis for the right of self determi the violent seizure of the Russian ships by the Finns, mination and separation be decided.
mation be established on the boundaries of German of the seizure of the hospital ships, also of the enorThe Russian Government was but lately confronted occupation; that every landowner whose land was mous sums of money, amounting to many billions, with the question of its relations to Poland, when the bounded by the German line of occupation should taken from the safes of the fortress and the vaults of have the privilege of deciding to which side (Germany the Russian exchequer. Notwithstanding, the Rus Lednitzki. came to Moscow, and in his position as representative of the Polish Council of Regents, Mr.
or our side) his property should belong in the future. sian government declared itself willing time and time representative of Poland, desired to enter into relation The solution of this question of principle was referred again to negotiate, not only as an answer to the Gerto Berlin, where the Political Commission (a mixed man demands, but the Russian government addressed On his first visit, we found his credentials unintelwith the People Commissariat of Foreign Affairs.
commission of Soviet representatives and Germans) itself directly to Finland with a proposition which was ligible, but when he came the second time, he came will be occupied with it.
never answered.
with the formal authority of the Council of Regents The position of the occupied regions is not as yet The question of our relations to Finland was especlear. The German government informed us that the cially acute when an important German Finnish army to negotiate with us. concerning matters regarding Poland. However, we do not recognize the present railroad employees would retain their former wages, on one side advanced towards the Russian frontier near situation in Poland as politically independent. and and enjoy all advantages as to the division of the nec Bielovstrov (directly northwest of Petrograd) and essities of life, and that malicious agitators were the German government on the other side questioned therefore cannot conside the Polish government as spreading rumor amongst the employees that all those us concerning the presence of English troops in the expressing the will of the people.
We entered therefore into relations with Mr. Ledwho continued their work under German occupation Murman district (which territory, as mentioned above, would lose their employment, their pension, and all the German Finnish White Guards had invaded) in nizki, but, as is self explanatory, only in essential, their savings when later the now decupied territories this inquiry, the number of English troops was grossly not in diplomatic relations, and then only when Count were restored to Russia. Therefore, the German gov exaggerated by the German government. In May, Mirbach, who was at that time the German ambassa ernment requested us to send a public notice to the the question of Fort Ino became the most promi dor in Moscow, informed us that by maintaining occupied districts containing the information that these nent, when the German government followed the exsuch relations we would gratify an expressed wish of rumors were baseless and that the Russian govern ample set by the Finnish High Commander and dethe German government.
ment recommended that the railroad employees con manded the surrender of this Russian fort to FinA more intense German offensive on the Ukraine tinue with their work. However, we found upon di land. This took place in the general critical period of side would have been more threatening than the adrect information that the wages of the railroad em the advance of the Germans, after the treaty of Brest vance upon the side of Finland. Directly after the ployes were reduced fifty per cent, and that these em Litovsk, when the German troops advanced into the conclusion of the treaty of Brest the troops of the ployees and all other officers were subjected to all governments of Worenesj and Koersk (in which gov Central Soviet government were ordered to withdraw kinds of persecution and that they did not enjoy any ernments the rivers Donetz and Don enter the from the Ukraine. The Soviet government was mainadvantage in regard to the necessitin of life. Azov Sur) and the end of this advance could not be tiged within the borders of the Ukraine, which, after We informed the German government that we could foreseen. Our notes to the German government at the second congress forme. itself into the government