438 THE CLASS STRUGGLE AN OPEN LETTER 439 Allies naturally suspected every approach on the part of the Bolsheviki as an effort to obtain information for the German army. But even that is no excuse at all. For more than a year the press has been shouting that Lenine and Trotzky are paid agents of Germany but never has a shred of real evidence been offered in this respect. Certain documents, understand, were printed in Le Petit Parisienne. The actual fact, however, is that these so called documents are proven forgeries, which were in the hands of the bitterest enemies of the Bolsheviki during the Kerensky regime, and could not be used because of their obvious forgery and falseness.
On the other hand there are innumerable proofs of a willingness to co operate with elements whose only merit is their opposition to the Soviets but who otherwise are openly co operating with the Germans. Much in this respect has been shown in the attitude toward the Finnish White Guard, toward the pro German Ukrainian bourgeoisie and toward the Milyukov faction, which is co operating with Germany and now has squarely declared itself for the restoration of monarchy in Russia. Much more could be shown if all the facts were known. Above already referred to the assurances given by the British Government to the White Guard Government of Finland, who have sold themselves body and soul to the Germans that the British Government never. would support any rebellious faction in Finland against the present Government.
How in the name of common sense can you then expect that any sane person, who is acquainted with the facts as they are, could for a moment believe that the main reason for ervention in Russia is to recreate opposition to Germany? The story about the Germans in Siberia, who are fighting the Czecho Slovaks, is altogether a product of hysteria or a deliberate misrepresentation.
Last April, at the request of Trotzky, Allied representatives went all through Siberia to confirm rumors circulated already at that time about armed German prisoners in Siberia acting on behalf of the German government. The Allied representatives did not find anything of that kind, and their findings must be known to the Allied Governments.
Why all that talk about the necessity of liberating the valiant Czecho Slovaks and permitting them to proceed to the western front? The facts about their case are that the Soviet Government was doing all in its power to allow the Czecho Slovaks to get away from Russia. Trotzky offered them passage by way of Archangel. For some reason that offer was not accepted. The stories about their having been attacked in Siberia while on their way to Vladivostok may be easily interpreted otherwise than as an attempt to prevent their leaving Russia. The eastward moving Czecho Slovaks of course obstructed the transportation of foodstuffs along the Siberian railroad to Russia. It is easy to understand that the necessity of feeding Russia came in conflict with the desire of the Czecho Slovaks for unhindered passage. Yet am sure that whatever difficulties arose in that respect, they could have been straightened out between the Soviets and the Czecho Slovaks, if they had been left to settle it themselves. It is obvious that the local population was incited against the CzechoSlovaks by Germans as well as by Russian reactionaries, who saw in the conflict between the Czecho Slovaks and the Soviets a potential nucleus of an interventionist adventure.
And so we have been compelled to witness a tragedy, which the historian of the future will regard as one of the most pathetic events in the history of revolutions. The Czecho Slovaks, themselves rebels, most of them originally in sympathy with the Russian revolution, most of them Socialists, desiring to establish their international independence by revolutionary means. are being used by those who promised them national independence, and who profess adherence to the principle of self determination of nations, as the hangmen of the Russian Revolutionists. Never has a rebellious people, striving for independence, been asked to pay a more horrible price. If the present plan of reactionaries in Russia is to materialize for the moment, if the Czecho Slovaks meet with success in putting down the Russian revolution and in establishing there a bloody reactionary monarchy, and if they as the Judas pay for this work are to receive the independence of Bohemia, can you see that future generations will haunt that independent Bohemia, built on the corpses