a traitor's own story - raymond robins in bolshevik russia

8/17/2019 A Traitor's Own Story - Raymond Robins in Bolshevik Russia

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A traitor’s story

Raymond Robins'

Own Story

by

William Hard

With Many Illustrations From Photographs

COL. RAYMOND ROBINS

Harper & Brothers Publishers

New York and London

Published February, 1920

CONTNTS

!"THE ARRIVAL OF THE SOVIET

!!"

TROTZKY'S PLANS FOR SOVIET RUSSIA

!!!"THE ALL-RUSSIAN CONGRESS AND THE

BREST-LITOVSK PEACE

http://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/robins/robins1.htm#1http://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/robins/Robins2.htmhttp://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/robins/Robins3.htmhttp://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/robins/Robins2.htmhttp://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/robins/Robins3.htmhttp://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/robins/robins1.htm#1


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!#"THE PERSONALITY AND POWER OF

NIKOLAI LENIN

#"

THE BOLSHEVIK "BOMB"

.

!$$%ST&'T!ONS

COL. RAYMOND ROBINS

KRYLENKO---HEAD OF THE REDARMY

LEON TROTZKY

http://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/robins/Robins4.htmhttp://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/robins/Robins5.htmhttp://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/robins/Robins4.htmhttp://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/robins/Robins5.htm


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NIKOLAI LENIN

ON THE ROAD TO MOSCOW

SVERDLOV, CHAIRMAN OF THE

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, ALL-

RUSSIAN CONGRESS OF SOVIETS

COLONEL ROBINS STANDING IN THE

FRONT OF THE CAR THAT CARRIED

THE AMERICAN FLAG EVERY DAY

THROUGH REVOLUTIONARY

PETROGRAD AND MOSCOW

MAY-DAY PARADE, MOSCOW

.


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!TH '&&!#'$ OF TH SO#!T

W!TH (olshe)ism trium*hant at (uda*est and at +unih, and with a Counil o- Wor.men/s and

Soldiers/ e*uties in session at (erlin, &aymond &obins bean to narrate to me his *ersonale*erienes and his obser)ations o- the dealins o- the 'merian o)ernment with (olshe)ism at

Petrorad and at +osow"

(ut he was not merely an obser)er o- those dealins" He was a *artii*ant in them" +onth a-ter

month he ated as the uno--iial re*resentati)e o- the 'merian ambassador to &ussia inon)ersations, and neotiations with the o)ernment o- $enin"

Throuhout that *eriod he saw $enin *ersonally three times 3on an a)erae4 a wee." !nidentally,

the deree o- eaerness -elt by the 'llied and 'merian o)ernments to ma.e $enin/sa5uaintane and to learn his atual harater and his atual *ur*ose, ood or bad, may be 6uded

-rom the -at that durin all those months Col" &aymond &obins o- the 'merian &ed Cross was

the only 'llied or 'merian o--ier who e)er atually had *ersonal on-erenes with $enin"

$enin s*ea.s nlish -luently" He was tal.in one day about &ussia/s industrial ba.wardnessand he made a sayin whih &obins now alls es*eially to mind"

&ussia/s ba.wardness in industry is a ra)e handia* to &ussian Soialism" &ussia is *oorly

*re*ared -or the soialist e*eriment" $enin .new this" Whate)er else he may be, he is a man o-

.nowlede, o- reat .nowlede, a laborious student and sholar" He was s*ea.in o- the

*ros*ets o- Soialism in &ussia, and he said7

8The -lame o- the Soialist re)olution may die down here" (ut we will .ee* it at its heiht till it

s*reads to ountries more de)elo*ed" The most de)elo*ed ountry is ermany" When you see a

Counil o- Wor.men/s and Soldiers/ e*uties at (erlin, you will .now that the *roletarian worldre)olution is born"8

We see that Counil to:day, and we see 'llied and 'merian di*lomay onsiderin it and

stri)in, in one way and another, to deal with it" That is why Colonel &obins is es*eially mo)ed

to s*ea. at this moment" He saw the di*lomati methods whih -ailed to deal suess-ully with(olshe)ism at Petrorad and +osow, and he -eels that he has e)ery reason o- *ratial

e*eriene to belie)e that they will e5ually -ail at (erlin and at (uda*est and at +unih and ate)ery other *lae where they may be tried"

The -ailure at Petrorad and at +osow was om*lete" The %nited States went away -romPetrorad and -rom +osow di*lomatially )an5uished" Colonel &obins )entures to state the

-undamental reason -or our disom-iture" (ut, be-ore statin that reason, ! must, in one res*et,

state him"


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He is the most anti:(olshe)i. *erson ! ha)e e)er .nown, in way o- thouht; and ! ha)e .nown

him -or se)enteen years" When he says now that in his 6udment the eonomi system o-

(olshe)ism is morally unsound and industrially unwor.able, he says only what ! ha)e heard himsay in e)ery year o- our a5uaintane sine 1902"

He was li)in then at a settlement in Chiao alled the Chiao Commons" !t had an o*en-orum alled, ! thin. ! remember, the Free Floor" On that Free Floor, and in little halls on North

Clar. Street, and in all sorts o- other *laes, &obins and ! heard all sorts o- (olshe)i. oratory inthe Chiao o- the early innoent twentieth entury" We did not need to wait -or the

de)elo*ments o- the year 1919 in order to .now that (olshe)ism, a-ter all, was not in)ented

durin the reat War by the erman eneral Sta-- as a war measure" We heard (olshe)ism inChiao, all o- it:::the itatorshi* o- the Proletariate, the Produers/ &e*ubli, the letion o-

$eislators by !ndustries, the 'bolition o- 'll Classes e*t the Wor.in:lass:::absolutely all

o- it, in the oratory o- sinere and elo5uent -anatis almost two deades ao" 'nd it eisted lon be-ore we heard it"

(ut &aymond &obins/ -a)orite intelletual *ursuit was to o a-ter it with all the aruments heould thin. o-" !n -orums and in halls and at that earnest atherin o- loal truth:see.ers alled

the Friday $unh Club he ne)er missed an o**ortunity to arue aainst (olshe)ism and aainste)ery other -orm o- Soialism" ! remember that one, when he heard -rom some -alse soure that

! was about to ma.e the hideous mista.e o- 6oinin the Soialist *arty, he .e*t me u* till two

o/lo. in the mornin, ma.in me one o- his best *ubli orations, all to mysel-, to dissuade me"He would o to any distane out o- his way in order to sa)e any brand -rom the Soialist burnin"

To:day, beause he o**oses 'merian and 'llied military inter)ention in &ussia, ertain hasty or

male)olent *ersons try to stam* the stima o- (olshe)ism on him" ! only as.7 how many o- those

*ersons ha)e e)er said one word aainst (olshe)ism where to say it was danerous< &obins

s*o.e aainst (olshe)ism in Petrorad itsel-" He labored aainst (olshe)ism", and is *ublilyreorded to ha)e labored aainst it, all throuh the *eriod while &ussia was ma.in its hoie

between =erens.y and $enin" &obins has been onsistently and ontinuously anti:(olshe)i., in'meria and in &ussia; but he saw the -ailure o- our di*lomay in &ussia; and he had a hane to

*erei)e the reason, the instruti)e reason"

He alls it the !ndoor +ind"

The !ndoor +ind oes to a ountry li.e &ussia, where > *er ent" o- the *o*ulation had been

masters o- e)erythin" !t -inds the > *er ent" swe*t out o- mastery and the 9? *er ent" in -ullontrol, with twel)e million ri-les in their hands" (ut it i)es itsel- to the > *er ent" !t i)es itsel-

to drawin:rooms, dinner:*arties, tea:tables, *alaes, boule)ard restaurants" There it hears at last

about a thin alled a So)iet" (ut what does it hear<

!t hears that the So)iet is a deliberately wi.ed and arti-iial thin" !t hears that the PetroradSo)iet o- Wor.men/s and Soldiers/ e*uties, and the +osow So)iet, and the !r.uts. So)iet, and

all the other So)iets s*rinin u* at almost e)ery ross:roads all o)er the -i-teen hundred miles

-rom 'rhanel to Odessa and all o)er the si thousand miles -rom =ie) to #ladi)osto., are


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*rodued by the mahinations o- the aents o- the =aiser" They are a erman intriue" That is

what the !ndoor +ind hears, and it belie)es it"

'nd what turns out to be the -at< The -at, as *ro)ed by e)ents subse5uent, soon subse5uent,turns out to be that these So)iets, instead o- bein a mere erman intriue, were a tidal wa)e o-

irresistible *o*ular emotion, as s*ontaneous, as &ussian, as a -ol.:son on the #ola"

Ne)er, says &obins, ne)er in this ae o- emotions o- *eo*les, in this ae o- mo)ements o-

*o*ulations, will di*lomay be able to deal with -orein *olitis till it disards the !ndoor -or theOutdoor +ind"

&obins/ duties in &ussia too. him outdoors" (y -ate, by hane, he was oblied to o out amon

the &ussian *eo*le" He was used to outdoors and to *eo*le" When ! -irst .new him he had lately

returned -rom old:huntin in 'las.a, where he had hunted suess-ully enouh to be able to li)ein modesty durin the rest o- li-e without any -urther suh huntin anywhere; and on the niht on

whih he unneessarily sa)ed me -rom Soialism he de*arted, a-ter three hours/ slee*, to o*en u*

the Chiao +unii*al $odin House where he did his best to restore bro.en men to a soundli-e" He had .nown miners and he had .nown )arants, and he had .nown -anatial Soialist

re-ormers, and he had .nown solid middle:lass re-ormers in the ourse o- his labors with the

+unii*al #oters/ $eaue -or the return o- honest aldermen to the Chiao City Counil" He had

been a down:on:the:round *reint:by:*reint *olitial wor.er" oin outdoors in &ussia didnot hurt him"

Throuh oin outdoors, he -ound the So)iet:::he .no.ed his shins aainst it:::when di*lomats

were only hearin about it" The (olshe)i.s a-terward, in order to a*ture &ussia, had to a*turethe So)iet" The So)iet turned out to be the stratei, the )ital, thin" &obins/ narrati)e beins

there-ore with the ad)entures throuh whih the So)iet was re)ealed to him"

Certain hints o- the So)iet were borne to the members o- the 'merian &ed Cross +ission e)en

while they were still in Siberia on their way -rom #ladi)osto. to Petrorad" 't the Siberian towno- Chita, 6ust o)er the Chinese -rontier, they were sto**ed and eamined by a loal o)ernment

atin on its own res*onsibility" !t alled itsel- a So)iet" !t onsisted sim*ly o- eleted

re*resentati)es o- loal wor.men and o- loal soldiers"

&obins was not at that time the ommander o- the &ed Cross +ission" (ut it was su**osed, orho*ed, that his -amiliarity with the labor mo)ement in 'meria miht enable him to say the

-ittin word to the labor mo)ement in Chita; and he was )isited by a stro.e o- reat ood -ortune"

He remembered the day when he had ta.en *art in a mo)ement in Chiao -or *re)entin ertain&ussian *olitial re-uees -rom ettin de*orted -rom 'meria ba. to &ussia" He rememberedthe 'merian Politial &e-uee e-ense $eaue, and Christian &udowit@ and 'nton Pouren"

They were not riminals" They were *olitial o**onents o- the C@ar" &obins was able to stand u*

in their ountry now, at Chita, and tell the story o- their e*erienes in 'meria" He had beenseretary o- the leaue -ormed to hel* them; and they had been hel*ed" They were not de*orted

ba. to &ussia" They were *ermitted to remain in 'meria" 'meria was true to its tradition as an

asylum, a seure asylum, -or re-uees whose rime was lo)e o- liberty" !t was the theme -or a


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ood s*eeh, and &obins was di*lomatially -ortunate in bein able to ma.e it, but he ould not

hel* re-letin on the uriousness o- the -orible sto**in o- an o--iial train by a loal

o)ernment"

!t was merely loal, and it was altoether etra:leal" The leal o)ernment was the =erens.y

o)ernment" The =erens.y o)ernment, entered at Petrorad, was o*erated loally throuhumas and Aemst)os and so on" This So)iet was a )olunteer thin, really a *ri)ate thin" (ut

&obins was soon to -ind out that e)en under =erens.y it was the thin with authority, with *ower"

The train *roeeded westward and *assed throuh !r.uts.; and then, at =rasnoyars., there was

aain a So)iet" The rumor ame that this So)iet would also sto* the train" The manaers o- thetrain doded" They waited -or a ertainly lear tra. and -or a 5uiet hour in early dawn, and they

dashed throuh =rasnoyars. without sto**in" This So)iet at =rasnoyars. was re*orted to be

(olshe)i." (olshe)ism had trium*hed in a remote *ro)inial town at a time when yet it ould

not raise itsel- to stri.e in Petrorad"

The 'merian &ed Cross +ission arri)ed in Petrorad on 'uust >, 191>" (olshe)ism was -ar

indeed -rom trium*h there" [email protected] was still, or had lately been, in 6ail" $enin was in )irtual

hidin" On 'uust Bth there was a on-erene between the 'merian &ed Cross and =erens.y;

and then, on days soon -ollowin, &obins met +iliu.o) and =ornilo) and +adame (resh.o:(resh.o)s.aya and Prine =ro*ot.in; and all his immediate *ersonal o--iial assoiations in his

&ed Cross wor. ame to be with the su**orters o- the =erens.y o)ernment aainst the

(olshe)i.s; and he thouht no more about the (olshe)i.s or indeed about the So)iet till his wor. oblied him to ma.e a tri* out o- Petrorad"

He had been assined by the ommander o- the &ed Cross +ission, Col" Fran. " (illins, to

wor. *artiularly at the *roblem o- -ood:su**ly and at the *roblem o- war re-uees" There weremany war re-uees in southern &ussia" &obins was des*athed to southern &ussia" 8There,8 as hesays, 8! -irst really sensed the new *ower, the new soial binder, whih was rowin into

eistene all o)er outdoors in &ussia"8

He ame to .aterinosla) on the nie*er, not -ar -rom the (la. Sea; and he ame to =har.o);

and he -ound So)iets" He -ound them -eared by the > *er ent":::the > *er ent" who used to ha)ea mono*oly o- mastery; and he -ound them bitterly hated and des*ised" He was told that in these

So)iets, assumin to *ratise the arts o- o)ernment, were men who 6ust a -ew minutes be-ore

had been ommon miners" This news *erha*s did not wor. on &obins in the manner intended"His horror was *erha*s modi-ied by the re-letion that he himsel- had been in his youth a

ommon miner"

He used to wor. twel)e hours a day, and in the winter:time he went down underround be-ore

the sun was u*, and he ate lunh with the mules, and he ame ba. to the sur-ae a-ter the sunhad set, and he ne)er saw the sun at all -or wee.s, and he ot a dollar a day, and he is -ran. to

admit that he needed no aitator to tell him he was wor.in hard and ettin little -or it and had a

rie)ane" ! dare say that he alulated that these &ussians ould li.ewise *erei)e rie)anes


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and ould li.ewise *erei)e the desirability o- a little orani@ation without bein entirely

de*endent u*on aitators -or the idea"

(ut they had one 5uite beyond a little orani@ation in =har.o)" They had one 5uite beyond thema.in o- trade:unions" These orani@ations o- wor.men and o- *easants, in =har.o) and its

neihborhood, were )eritably o)ernments"

When &obins wanted to et anythin really done he had to o and tal. to them and ma.e

arranements with them" His *o.ets were -ull o- =erens.y redentials" They were -ull o-authori@ations -rom the o)ernment o- Petrorad" When he *resented any suh doument, he was

treated .indly, but he was treated rather *ityinly, as i- he were a hild showin a letter -rom

Santa Claus, authori@in him to ha)e a train" !t ha**ened that &obins did want a train" He wantedse)eral trains, to arry his &ed Cross su**lies" 8(ut,8 said *eo*le, 8i- you really want trains, you

must see the men in the So)iet"8

'nd it was so" The So)iet was master now" From the So)iet, not -rom the reular authorities,

&obins ot the trains and also the -arm:waons that he needed" !- the men in the So)iet said heould ha)e the -arm:waons, he had them" !- they said a train ould set -orward, it set -orward"

'nd i- they said it ould not set -orward, it ould not and did not set -orward"

(y *roo- o- -at these So)iets had authority" They had the *ower" &obins went ba. to Petrorad

muh more enlihtened" but also muh more disturbed"

On his way ba. he *assed throuh +osow" He had *assed throuh +osow be-ore, on his wayout down south to .aterinosla) and =har.o)" The reat +osow 'll:&ussian Con-erene o-

'uust, 191>, had then 6ust been in session" !ts results now reurred to him with redoubled -ore"

There were two hie- results" The -irst was seen in the demeanor o- a ertain set o- deleates"They sat by themsel)es om*atly" They beha)ed om*atly" 'lone in the reat hall they seemedto onstitute a body o- o*inion .nowin eatly what it wanted and .nowin eatly how it

*ro*osed to et it" !n the midst o- a &ussia o- irresolution and o- indeision they were lear and

em*hati" They were ominous" They were the deleates -rom the Soldiers/ and Wor.men/sSo)iets"

The other result was smaller, but more dramati, and it had onse5uenes more immediate"

On the last day o- the on-erene there was a sene omin lose to a *hysial enounter" '

rou* o- Cossa. o--iers were hallened in statement by =erens.y" They hallened him in

turn" There was a storm o- words, short, shar*" !n its lihtnin the lea)ae stood lear between=ornilo), the Cossa., the eneral soon to lead a re)olt -or 8law and order and disi*line,8 and

=erens.y, the man in o--ie, the man -ored to om*romise between the wishes o- the 'llies -or

8law and order and disi*line8 and the wishes o- the &ussian *eo*le -or bread and land and *eae"

(y the time &obins ot ba. to Petrorad the =ornilo) re)olt was in -ull swin" That is, it was

swinin as muh as it e)er did or ould" The 'llied embassies and missions had been able to


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hear it about to swin thunderinly throuh the whole ountry -rom the (la. to the White seas"

!nstead, it barely mo)ed" !t sim*ly rea.ed and sto**ed" 's &obins *uts it, the !ndoor +ind had

uessed wron aain"

!n the 'llied embassies and missions, &obins oes on to *oint out, there were numbers o- men o-

the hihest nati)e ability and o- immense e*eriene and o- the -inest harater and *atriotism" !twas their business to 6ude *ubli e)ents" That was their s*eialty" They were in &ussia to uide

their o)ernments reardin the -ats o- &ussian a--airs" They earned their li)in doin 6ust thatsort o- thin" et )irtually e)ery one o- them, in sym*athy, in *oliy, in in-luene, was with

=ornilo)" #irtually e)ery one o- them *ut his money, so to s*ea., on =ornilo)" 'nd they were all

wron" They were bettin the di*lomati -a)or o- their ountries on a horse that had no hane"

!n the mean time there was in &ussia an 'merian business man, a o**er o*erator" He wore an

'merian uni-orm" He had beome, -or the time bein, a olonel, in ommand o- an 'merian

mission" He was head o- the 'merian &ed Cross in Petrorad" Colonel (illins, the -irst head,

had been oblied to return to 'meria" He was sueeded in Petrorad by Col" William ("

Thom*son"

Colonel Thom*son ne)er too. any sto. in the =ornilo) ad)enture at any time at any *rie" He

was not a trained obser)er o- -orein *olitial a--airs" He was a o**er man" He was a -inanier"

He was absolutely without di*lomati e*eriene" et he went di*lomatially absolutely riht"Duite naturally, says &obins" Colonel Thom*son used the methods o- sim*le human in5uiry, the

methods o- outdoor -at, instead o- the methods o- indoor ossi* and surmise" (y dwellin on

-at he hel*ed &obins to see that ad)entures li.e =ornilo)/s were im*ossible in &ussia at thattime"

=ornilo) was a**ealin to the sentiment o- law and order and disi*line, and he needed a middle

lass" There was no suh lass in &ussia" There was the > *er ent", and there was the 9? *erent", and there was )irtually nothin in between" The 9? *er ent" were not interested in law andorder" They were interested in the land:ontrol and in the -atory:ontrol they thouht they ouht

to ha)e" They were an under lass, risin, and willin to rise, by )iolene" They were not a

middle lass, restin on a5uired *ro*erty and res*onsi)e to a law:and:order *roram" There wasno suh lass, and there was no suh res*onse, in &ussia" The 'llies were whistlin to it, but

Colonel Thom*son .new it would not ome beause it was not there"

!t miht not ha)e been e*eted that Thom*son and &obins would ome to an areement about

&ussia" (ut they did" They ame to an absolute areement" They areed with reard to the *ros*ets o- the marh o- =ornilo), and they aree now with reard to the whole &ussian

situation in eneral" !t is remar.able, and it is also amon the most on)inin irumstanes in

the reord" They ame to the same )iew -rom widely se*arated stations o- )ision"

's &obins says, they loo. at li-e -rom altoether di--erent windows"

Thom*son is a man o- reat wealth, o- reat Wall Street wealth, a su**orter and an orani@er o-

the e--ort to et the &e*ublian nomination -or lihu &oot in 191E" When he -irst heard that

&obins was to o to &ussia with him, he re)i)ed to say7 8That u*li-ter That labor aitator !n the


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&ed Cross +ission


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time ! -ind he 6otted down the 8*lat-orm eneralshi*8 o- the (olshe)i.s and their 8real wor. with

deleates"8 They wor.ed really, realistially" They were not ontent with orations" They arued

man to man, on the -loor, ettin )otes" They were tireless, on the -loor as well as on the *lat-orm" 'nd there, on that *lat-orm, &obins had his -irst siht o- [email protected]"

[email protected] was wal.in u* and down" The s*etale o- that *lat-orm, as ! et it -rom &obins, ould be said to be arraned in three tiers" First, -arthest toward the ba., was the *residin o--ier, the

hairman" (elow him was a row o- men at a table" These men were the 8Presidium"8 They weredeleates seleted -rom the di--erent rou*s sittin in the on)ention to re*resent all rou*s

toether and to .ee* a sort o- om*osite neutral wath on the *roeedins" &ussians seem to

ha)e a *assion -or *ro*ortional re*resentation" 't their on)entions they li.e to ha)e a *ro*ortionally seleted 8Presidium"8 There it sat in a lon row" !t was the seond tier" Finally,

below it, between it and the audiene, was the s*ea.er" !t was [email protected]"

He was wal.in u* and down, slowly and almly" He was not s*ea.in" !t was im*ossible -or

him to s*ea." Peo*le in the audiene were s*ea.in" They were s*ea.in to him; and they were

s*ea.in se)erely and loudly" The words they used were 8*ro:erman8 and 8erman aent8 and8s*y8 and 8 traitor"8 They roared" [email protected] wal.ed u* and down, and sto**ed, and *ulled a

iarette -rom his *o.et, and *ulled a math, and lihted the iarette, and smo.ed, and wal.edu* and down" One man in the audiene, to &obins/ *ersonal .nowlede, had a un with whih, as

he on-ided to his -riends, he would shoot [email protected] as soon as [email protected] a**eared" He did not

shoot" [email protected] smo.ed -or 5uite a while" Then, when there was a lull, he raised his arm andlashed that audiene into om*lete sub6uated silene"

&obins has heard many s*ea.ers" !t has been *art o- his ou*ation to s*ea.; and it has been

almost *art o- his ou*ation to listen to s*ea.ers, to see. them out in order to listen to them" He

has listened to them in this ountry and abroad" (esides himsel- *ratisin the arts o- *ubli

s*ea.in on street orners and in ward on)entions and in the *ul*its o- hurhes on Sundaymornins and in world:tours o- the +en:and:&eliion:Forward:+o)ement and in trade:union

ounils, and elsewhere, he has *ro-essionally wathed those arts in others" )en his enemieswill admit him to be a 6ude o- s*ea.in"

! ather -rom him that he is oblied to ma.e a *ro-essional bow to [email protected]" He says that as a

s*ea.er he has ne)er seen [email protected]/s e5ual in the on5uerin o- an audiene, in the arryin o-- o-

it, on -lihts o- *assion, or -lihts o- the mystery o- the instant wea)in o- *atterns o- words"Trots.y has le)erness, and he has )ehemene" He s*rays the *oison o- his ideas u*on his

hearers with a *enetratin -ore whih e)en &obins/ so*histiated attention was stunned by"

&obins ould detest nobody/s ideas more than [email protected]/s" The one man is an indi)idualist and a

*reaher o- reliion" The other is a ommunist and a *reaher o- materialism" Their one *oint o-ontat is oratory" On that *oint &obins is inlined to reard [email protected] as un-ortunately the world/s

ham*ion *er-ormer"

Fain the emorati Con-erene, [email protected] did not e)en bother to re-er to the words 8*ro:erman8 and 8erman aent8 and 8s*y8 and 8traitor"8 He *aid no attention to them" He *luned

straiht into (olshe)ism and into the (olshe)i. *roram, and s*o.e -or the *roram; and it

bean to win" Throuh [email protected], throuh =amene), throuh &ia@ano), throuh Ste.lo), throuh


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hard wor., throuh hard tal. it bean to win" (e-ore that on)ention was o)er, amon deleates

who had started *ro:o)ernment, the (olshe)i.s had almost won an o*en anti:o)ernment

)itory"

's it was, they won a o)ert )itory" They sueeded in ettin the on)ention to )ote down a

resolution in -a)or o- 8Coalition with the Cadets8:::that is, a resolution in -a)or o- the =erens.y.ind o- o)ernment" They sueeded in ettin the on)ention to re-rain -rom indorsin the

8Cadet Coalition8 idea" 'nd they sueeded in seurin the withdrawal o- the resolution in -a)oro- the war" !t was withdrawn under their -ire" Their s*irit dominated the lose o- the on-erene"

For &obins, -or any *ro:war man, -or any man as nationalist as &obins, it was an endin most

miserable, most -orebodin"

The audiene stood, unreard-ul o- national &ussia" The resolution -or the war was one" !t was

buried" The audiene stood and san the son, the hymn, alled 8The !nternational"8 They san it

-or their messae" !t was their word" They had no word -or &ussia" They had no word -or the

army" They had no word -or the -iht aainst the ermans" They had 8The !nternational"8 !t

miht ha)e been sun in ermany" !t is to:day bein sun in ermany" !t was sun that niht inPetrorad with the souls o- the siners" !t was the symbol o- the trium*h, o)ert and indiret, but

still a trium*h, o- the (olshe)i.s in that emorati Conress o- 'll &ussia"

&obins listened, and went away, and went to wor." He went to wor. aainst the (olshe)i.s" Or,rather, he went to wor. aainst the *eae mo)ement in &ussia"

&obins e*resses himsel- stronly at this *oint" He wants to be *er-etly sure that he does not in

any way i)e the im*ression that the *eae mo)ement in &ussia was sim*ly a mo)ement o-(olshe)i. *ro*aanda or sim*ly a mo)ement o- any other sort o- *ro*aanda" He has 6ust one

hesitation" He .nows, and he .ee*s on sayin, that the -ull truth about &ussia is not under any

one man/s hat" The -ull truth about &ussia, -or e)en any one month o- the one -ate-ul year 191>,may not be .nown till a-ter deades o- researh by hundreds o- in5uirers" (ut &obins is willinto say, and does say7

8!- ! do not .now more about the o*inions o- the ommon soldiers and o- the ommon wor.men

who made the (olshe)i. re)olution o- 191> than any other foreign representative then in &ussia,

it is beause my intelliene was not e5ual to my o**ortunities"8

He had the o**ortunities, and he did not nelet them" When he saw that [email protected] was a *ower in

the emorati Con-erene he did not e)ade him" He went to where he was" He wal.ed u* to

him and tal.ed to him, 6ust as in Chiao, when he was head resident o- the Northwestern

%ni)ersity Settlement and a-terward member o- the City (oard o- duation, and then membero- the City Charter Con)ention and hairman o- the State Committee o- the Proressi)e *arty, he

tal.ed to more di--erent sorts o- *eo*le, radial and reationary, sared and *ro-ane, than

anybody else had e)er olleted into one a5uaintane" +ore e)en than bein a *ro-essionals*ea.er and *reaher, &obins is a *ro-essional olletor o- *eo*le and o- *eo*le/s o*inions and

ideas" Ha)in seen him ather them in Chiao, all the way -rom the white riht win o- the City

Club to the red le-t win o- the Chiao Federation o- $abor, ! an readily see him, with his


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harateristi ait, as o- an !ndian on the trail, atherin them tirelessly in &ussia:::and

systematially"

)ery day he had be-ore him on his des., translated by a or*s o- &ussian assistants, all theo*inions o- all the &ussian news*a*ers reardin any matter o- interest to 'meria" He su--ered

nothin in the way o- *rinted o*inion to esa*e him; and he also a)e himsel- to the study o- thatmuh more elusi)e .ind o- o*inion, s*o.en o*inion"

He studied it es*eially amon the wor.men and amon the *easants in the orani@ation destinedto s*ea. the -inal re)olutionary word about &ussia:::the wor.men and *easants in the reat

demobili@in &ussian army" He notied in that army a ertain number o- hea)ily armored motor:

ars" They were -ortress:ars" They amounted to tan.s" &obins wathed them roll down thestreets o- Petrorad and om*ared them with i)ilian *edestrians, and e)en with military

mahine:unners, and he rearded those tan.s as the enter o- *hysial *ower in re)olutionary

Petrorad" !n many other *arts o- the army he now had -riends who arried to him ontinuously

the s*o.en words o- the *ri)ate soldiers" (ut he was es*eially are-ul to ha)e -riends in the tan.

or*s"

He ommuniated with *ri)ate soldiers and they ommuniated with him" Some o- the thins he

learned -rom them ! shall soon relate" They a)e him the .nowlede he most )alued" He .new

=erens.y/s o)ernment throuh sores o- intimate o--iial on-erenes with members o- itreardin the wor. o- the &ed Cross" (ut he was most es*eially and *artiularly are-ul to

.now the -eelins o- the ran. and -ile o- the &ussian 9? *er ent"

There-ore with some on-idene he )entures to say that he .new somethin about the *eaemo)ement amon the &ussian soldiers, as well as somethin about the (olshe)i. *ro*aanda

amon them, and he i)es it as his onsidered o*inion that the (olshe)i. *ro*aanda was indeed

urent and ati)e, but that, a-ter all, it was muh li.e the ase o- a man blowin with his breath inthe same diretion with a -ull:rown natural tornado"

%nless that -at is onsidered and -ran.ly -aed and admitted, says &obins, it is im*ossible to

understand what ha**ened a-terward or what is ha**enin now" ' thi. dar.ness o- misery, o-

mental misery and o- *hysial misery, more than any dar.ness o- *ro*aanda, was dri)in

&ussia toward *eae" !- we ould e)en bein to ta.e the measure o- that misery, we ould thenalso bein in some sliht -ashion to ta.e the measure o- the shut:eyed and shut:hearted stu*idity

whih attributes the aoni@ed on)ulsions o- *eo*les in &ussia and in Hunary and in 'ustria

and in ermany to aitators and to *am*hlets"

!n &ussian the industrial diretin brain o- the ountry was almost one" +uh o- it had beenerman" When the war ame, the ermans went" Some o- them went ba. to ermany; and

some o- them san. down into &ussia and li)ed submered" !n either ase they eased to hel* to

manae &ussian business -or &ussia"

Then ame -orward the &ussian *art o- the > *er ent", the truly &ussian *art o- it, out o- the

nobility, out o- the uni)ersities, out o- the *ro-essions, out o- businesses" They )olunteered to

hel* orani@e the -ood:su**ly and the lothes:su**ly, and e)en the munitions:su**ly" Their s*irit


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was mani-ient and their ser)ie in)aluable" They sa)ed &ussia -rom olla*se and ruin durin

the -irst two and a hal- years o- the war"

(ut then ame the re)olution, and then ame the So)iet, and then the whole > *er ent" beamesus*et" To the So)iet the whole > *er ent", as a mass, was ounter:re)olutionary" The So)iet

wanted 8the -ruits o- the re)olution"8 !t wanted all land -or the *eo*le" !t wanted all industry -orthe *eo*le" !t wanted outriht Soialism, and wanted it at one" The > *er ent" did not" The

So)iet eluded the > *er ent" (ut the So)iet was omin to rule &ussia" )en under =erens.y,as &obins had seen at =har.o), and as he now saw at Petrorad, the So)iet was omin to be the

real o)ernment" There-ore, when the > *er ent" was eluded -rom the So)iet, it was eluded,

more and more, -rom the real o)ernment, -rom the real diretion o- &ussia" &ussia, ha)in lostthe erman *art o- its diretin brain, now bean to lose most o- the e*eriened nati)e &ussian

*art o- it" +ore and more it had no diretin brain at all, no brain e*eriened and s.illed in the

tehnial diretin *roesses neessary to the *rodution and distribution o- ommodities"

So &ussia bean to la. -ood and raiment and -uel" !n its reat enters o- *o*ulation and o-

demand and o- need, &ussia bean to be under-ed and underlad and underwarmed" !t bean tosu--er, at -irst slihtly, then horribly" !t stood in the ale o- the World War with an em*ty

stomah, shi)erin and anry" 'nd the 'llies said, 8Fiht8

&obins heard the answer"

He heard it in his translations o- the news*a*ers" He heard it in his re*orts -rom his -riends and

aents in the army" He heard it with his own ars durin his own numerous )isits to army

barra.s" !t was the well:.nown answer" !t was, em*hatially and sim*ly7

8Who made us -iht< The C@ar" What did the C@ar want< The ardanelles" What do we are

about the ardanelles< Nothin"8

8Why do the ermans -iht< (eause the =aiser ma.es them"8

8Why do the 'llies -iht< (eause their rulers ma.e them, by onsri*tion" What do their rulers

want< They want Syria -or Frane and +eso*otamia -or nland and some ree. islands -or!taly" When we as. them why, when we as. them to s*ea. their -ull mind, they say this is no time

-or s*ea.in"8

8We will s*ea." We will s*ea. to e)erybody" We will s*ea. to the ermans" They are wor.ers

and *easants, too" Nine out o- ten o- them are wor.ers and *easants" We do not want their land"

They do not want ours" We will s*ea. to them, and when we s*ea. to them and tell them what isin our hearts, they will not -iht us any more" Why should they

&obins was solidly ertain that $udendor--/s troo*s would not lay down their arms at the


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a**roah o- aruin So)iets, e)en i- the +ohammedan So)iet went alon with its most oent

and on)inin thouhts" &obins ast about, there-ore, -or aruments with whih to ombat the

aruments o- this -anatial but natural *eae mo)ement and with whih to *ersuade the &ussiansoldiers that it was really atually *ratially neessary -or them to -iht"

The 'llies, o- ourse, were ondutin a *ro*aanda in &ussia" 'll o)ernments wereondutin *ro*aanda e)erywhere, and whinin beause other o)ernments were ondutin it"

The *ro*aanda o- the 'llies in &ussia was sim*le" !t was sim*le:minded" !t *roeeded on thetheory that what the &ussians wanted to be sure o- was that the 'llies would win"

The -at was that what the &ussians wanted to be sure o- was that the 'llies were -ihtin -or

ood ends and not sim*ly -or territorial ends" The 'llied *ro*aanda, *erha*s, did not e)en .nowthat -at" !t assumed that the &ussians were loo.in -or the band:waon, and that i- they saw that

the 'llies had it, they would at one limb ba. aboard on the 'llied side"

There-ore the 'llies ot out *ro*aanda in &ussia dealin almost entirely with their terri-i

*hysial strenth" Frane had better artillery, and *resumably more o- it, than any other nation inthe world" The (ritish -leet sailed the seas de-iant and dominant and unde-eatable" 'meria was

sendin air*lanes to uro*e in numbers to dar.en the s.ies" 'meria, in hundreds o- shi*yards,

was buildin thousands o- shi*s to arry millions o- men to uro*e in a -ew months" The 'llies

were bound to win" The &ussian soldiers loo.ed and said, 8$et them"8 They said7 8We ha)e lostmore men than all o- them *ut toether" We ha)e ta.en our turn at it" !- they are so stron, let

them o ahead and -inish it"8

This sort o- thin, the 'merian &ed Cross +ission thouht, was a dead loss" Colonel Thom*sondeided to try to orani@e a new e--ort" He athered toether a rou* o- re*resentati)e and

*ower-ul &ussians" !t was areed that a reat eduational wor., a reat and -riendly and

leitimate eduational wor., ould be and ouht to be onduted amon the &ussian *eo*le" Theaim o- it should be to show the &ussian *eo*le that on their own behal-, without any re-erene tothe 'llies, it was neessary -or them to -iht the erman =aiser"

Colonel Thom*son/s enter*rise rested on a -ran. ae*tane o- the &ussian &e)olution" He

*erei)ed, as a -at, that the &ussian *easant was not interested in 8sa)in8 the 'llies" The

&ussian *easant did not thin. o- the 'llies as his allies" He thouht o- them as the C@ar/s allies"He saw no reason -or bein 8loyal8 to them" The &ussian *easant and the &ussian wor.man,

Colonel Thom*son *erei)ed, were interested, really, in 6ust one thin:::the re)olution and the

-ruits o- the re)olution" He *ro*osed, there-ore, throuh writers writin )ery sim*ly, and throuhs*ea.ers s*ea.in )ery sim*ly, to o to them and say7

8The one im*erialisti *ower whih is net door to you, and whih is able to on5uer you and

whih is atually tryin to on5uer you, is the *ower o- the Central Powers" !ts soldiers are

ad)anin" ou annot sto* them with Soialism" They .new Soialism be-ore you .new it" Theyare hy*noti@ed by the =aiser and by -alse *atriotism" They are mad" They .ee* omin on; and

with them, as you .now, as you an see, on omes the old day one aain in &ussia" Where)er

the ermans o, the old day oes with them" (a. o- the erman bayonets are your own &ussian barons, returnin to ta.e -rom you the land whih is yours by the &e)olution" (a. o- the


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erman bayonets are your own old industrial masters, returnin to i)e you the old twel)e hours

a day and the old two rubles a day instead o- the eiht hours and the -i-teen rubles o- the

&e)olution" (a. o- the =aiser is the C@ar, the =aiser/s .in, returnin to destroy the &e)olutionitsel-" To .ee* the C@ar down, to .ee* the re)olution u*, you must -iht the =aiser"8

Truer words, in the liht o- that moment, it would mani-estly ha)e been di--iult to -rame"Colonel Thom*son *ro*osed to ha)e them written and s*o.en throuhout &ussia" The &ussian

members o- this new ommittee were in -ull areement with him" They were *ersons o- astandin ertainly unim*eahable" They were7

+adame Catherine (resh.o:(resh.o)s.aya, randmother o- the re)olution, anti:(olshe)i."

Niholas Thai.o)s.y, leader o- the *easant o:o*erati)es, a-terward head 3under the 'llies4 o-

the o)ernment o- the North in the 'rhanel distrit, anti:(olshe)i."

$a@aro), -ormerly manaer o- the re)olutionary 8underround station8 in Swit@erland, anti:

(olshe)i."

eneral Neuslohows.y, one o- the most trusted o- =erens.y/s enerals, anti:(olshe)i."

a)id Sos.ie, =erens.y/s *ri)ate seretary, anti:(olshe)i."

Suh was the ommittee" !t was stron in *ersonnel, but it was wea. in money" Colonel

Thom*son attended to that detail" He *ro)ided money to the etent o- a million dollars" Hede*osited, in a ban. at Petrorad, to be drawn on by the ommittee, an immediate -und o- a

million dollars out o- his own *ri)ate -ortune"

Some *eo*le are sayin now that the money Colonel Thom*son ontributed to a--airs in &ussiawas ontributed to the (olshe)i. mo)ement" They made this statement in an e--ort to arue

aainst Colonel Thom*son/s onlusions and reommendations reardin 'merian *oliy

toward &ussia" The e--ort may be leitimate, but the statement is not" Colonel &obins says7

8! re*eat to you what ! said to the Senate Committee under oath" Colonel Thom*son ne)erontributed one ent in &ussia to the (olshe)i.s" (ut he did ontribute one million dollars

aainst the (olshe)i.s" He ontributed one million dollars o- his own money to an orani@ation

-or eduatin the &ussian *eo*le to see the menae and the *eril o- the *eae the (olshe)i.s

were ad)oatin"8

That orani@ation ot under way" The =erens.y o)ernment o:o*erated" +en were released-rom the i)il ser)ie and -rom the army, men o- harater and o- *ersuasi)eness, to o out and

s*read the truth:::the truth e*ressed in the indubitable -at that a )itory -or ermany would bea )itory -or the ounter:re)olution"

One million dollars, howe)er, thouh enouh -or startin, was not enouh -or ontinuin" The

*ro6et was one -or the reeduation o- a whole *eo*le" No *ri)ate -ortune was ade5uate to it"

Colonel Thom*son, there-ore, abled to Washinton"


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!n ablin he e*lained his enter*rise and he also e*lained the need o- it in the &ussia o- the

moment, dwellin on the daner that &ussia miht be hurried into *eae and (olshe)ism within

a short time unless &ussian *ubli o*inion ould be reahed and haned" He as.ed -or onemillion dollars within ten days and -or three million dollars a month therea-ter durin a *eriod o-

three months"

He abled" ' wee. *assed" Two wee.s *assed" Three wee.s *assed" Then a )oie was heard -rom

Washinton sayin that the idea suested by Colonel Thom*son was bein are-ully analy@edin Washinton, and miht be ado*ted, but that in any ase a *er-etly ood re*resentati)e o- the

Committee on Publi !n-ormation would soon be on his way to Petrorad"

When the re*resentati)e o- the Committee on Publi !n-ormation arri)ed in Petrorad, the(olshe)i.s had been in *ower in Petrorad and in -ull ontrol o- the whole &ussian situation -or

more than two wee.s"

e*ri)ed o- su**ort -rom Washinton, Colonel Thom*son/s &ussian Committee was oblied to

re)ise its wor. and to ta*er it o--" !n the mean time the *eae mo)ement and the So)ietmo)ement and the (olshe)i. mo)ement were all o- them e)ery day rowin stroner" &obins

now had an es*eially ood o**ortunity to wath them" He bean to ma.e reular sheduled

*ubli s*eehes to meetins o- soldiers"

He had already s*o.en to soldiers oasionally; but on Se*tember 1B, 191>, he bean to s*ea. tothem daily, and he ontinued to s*ea. daily until the (olshe)i. re)olution bro.e and sto**ed

him" 't armories, at arsenals, at barra.s, in Petrorad and in the en)irons o- Petrorad, he stood

u* and s*o.e at lenth throuh an inter*reter, tellin his hearers about 'meria and about'meria/s o)ernment, and about the reasons why 'meria went into the war" He arried his

messae to many thousands o- &ussian wor.men and *easants still in the army, and they were

interested"

They were interested *artiularly in the sub6et o- eduation in 'meria" Our Western stateuni)ersities ama@ed and delihted them" The -at that a *oor boy ould o all the way throuh

the ommon shool and then throuh the hih shool and then throuh the uni)ersity, *ayin no

tuition anywhere and ettin a whole eduation by -ree rant o- the state -or the -uture bene-it o-

the state in iti@enshi*, was thrillin to them" &obins made the most o- our demoratio**ortunities in eduation and o- all our other demorati o**ortunities -or indi)idual

ad)anement" He also made the most o- the demorati su**ort i)en in 'meria to the war"

He would all his hearers/ attention to the -at that our business men did not need to o into the

war to ma.e money" They were already ma.in money, lare 5uantities o- it, sellin oods to the'llies; and they were ma.in it without ha)in to *ay any war taes o- their own to their own

o)ernment at Washinton" Now, ha)in one into the war, they would ha)e to *ay hea)y war

taes" That -at *ro)ed that our moti)e in enterin the war was not ommerial"

His hearers would listen attenti)ely" &obins would s*ea. -or thirty minutes, and would then

answer 5uestions -or two hours" '-ter testin audienes in many *arts o- the world, &obins has

ome to the onlusion that a &ussian audiene an stand more *unishment than any other


18/104

audiene li)in" The *easants and wor.men who listened to him in armories and arsenals and

barra.s were willin to listen, and also to tal., to the end" Some o- their 5uestions, some o- their

statements, ! ha)e o*ied out, and ! here re*rodue -rom &obins/ notes"

8Comrade, *lease say that we are rate-ul to the 'merian &ed Cross -or its brotherly hel*"8

8Comrade, *lease send our brotherly reetins to the wor.in:men o- 'meria and tell them it is

our dee* wish that they su**ort us by sym*athy with our emani*ation"8

There would be many suh e*ressions, but they would be -ollowed by 5uestions showin an

instinti)e sus*iion o- 8a*italism8 e)erywhere, inludin 'meria"

8Comrade, we hear that in 'meria stri.es are bro.en by usin *oliemen and soldiers aainst

them" !s this true< Why is it true


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! dare say he ontrasted stronly with the &ussians be-ore him" He is amon the 'merians on

whom the 'merian limate and en)ironment ha)e *erha*s already had a *hysial e--et" His

om*leion is 5uite dar., with not a little in it, ! should say, o- a o**ery olorin; and his bla.hair has an !ndian straihtness; and his eyes ha)e the searhinness o- the -orest and the *rairie;

and the ontours o- his -ae ha)e a weathered suestion o- the modelin done by 'meria on

the -aes o- those who *reeded us in our *resent huntin:rounds; and, -inally, *erha*s 6ust byhane, *erha*s in order to mislead the obser)er into ma.in roundless enerali@ations about

limate and en)ironment and into seein resemblanes whih do not eist, it ha**ens that his

)ery oratory, in its estures and in its atual words, in the sim*liity o- them, and in the art whihturns sim*liity radually into stateliness, is that o- a sahem traditionally addressin an

assembled tribe" !n &ussia he was *erha*s at least unusual"

't ahina, howe)er, he was not *o*ular" (ut he was not sur*rised" )erywhere, amon all the

soldiers, his aruments had been rowin in un*o*ularity" So, -eelin 5uite austomed by nowto a ertain hostility, he *erse)ered"

On the sub6et o- 'merian institutions he was listened to in silene, not without some res*et; but on the sub6et o- 'merian di*lomay and o- 'llied di*lomay he bean to be interru*ted;

and on the sub6et o- the war in eneral and o- &ussia/s *artii*ation in it he bean to be mobbed"+asses o- men seemed to rise in a bla. wa)e toward the stand" There &obins stood, with a

&ussian o--ier, hih and dry, but not ha**y, while reat shouts o- 8!m*erialists8 ame at them

and a reat multitude o- arms wa)ed the shouts on" &obins did his immediate best to et thosearms to subside" '-ter a while, when they seemed less numerous and less earnest, he alled to the

&ussian o--ier -or the ladder, and he desended" 'nd then he ot an e)idene o- a ertain

*euliar boisterous ood humor in &ussian *eo*le"

's he made his way aross the hall toward the door at the other end o- it, he saw a om*at

rou* o- soldiers runnin at him" He thouht he .new their *ur*ose" (ut he was in error" !nsteado- bein *i.ed u* on their bayonets, he was *i.ed u* in their arms, and they bean to treat him

to the eremony whih they )isit u*on their leaders on oasions o- s*eial a**ro)al anda--etion"

They tossed him in the air and auht him, and tossed him and auht him aain, and then aain

and aain" With the seond or third toss he bean to *erei)e that he was not bein .illed" He

was bein a**lauded Seldom, ! imaine, has he had more satis-ation in sur)i)in to say78entlemen, ! than. you"8

(ut those soldiers were not -or the war" They wanted to show &obins that no *ersonal hard

-eelins were bein entertained, but they were not -or the war" 't ahina and at )irtually e)ery

other armory and arsenal and barra.s that &obins )isited his hearers were old to the war"Comin ba. -rom addressin the +ahine:un Cor*s at Stalna on Otober 22d, ! -ind he made

this des*airin note in his diary7 8The war is dead in the heart o- the &ussian soldier"8

The one thin li)in in that heart was the re)olution, and the one thin toward whih that heart

turned -or the -ull suess o- the re)olution was the So)iet" $enin and [email protected] *ut those two -atstoether:::the re)olution, the So)iet" (y that ombination they o*ened the door to their trium*h"


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&obins e*resses it by sayin that the (olshe)i.s won &ussia with -i)e words" They said, 8'll

Power to the So)iet"8 !t was a -ormula, a sloan, that had nothin to do diretly with land or with

industry or with war and *eae" !t had to do sim*ly and entirely with what sort o- o)ernment&ussia should ha)e" $enin and [email protected] realistially *erei)ed that the So)iet, at that time, in -at,

was &ussia/s one e--eti)e *ubli authority; and they unswer)inly *rolaimed that it should be

su*reme" O)er and o)er aain, tirelessly, they said, 8'll Power to the So)iet 8 Other thinsmiht or miht not be" One thin, said $enin and [email protected], had to be" 8 All Power to the Soviet."

Toward the end o- Otober &obins/ s*eial -riend in the tan. or*s ame to him and made a

re*ort, showin that now in the tan. or*s there was the same sentiment that there was in the rest

o- the army" He said7

8The men are still di)ided about hal- and hal- between li.in =erens.y and li.in $enin" (ut

they are unanimous on one *oint" They are unanimously -or the So)iet"8

What was the lesson in that situation< &obins ould see only one lesson anywhere in it" Colonel

Thom*son ould see only one" !t ran -or them about as -ollows7

=erens.y is -or the war" There-ore we 'merians, we 'llies, want =erens.y to stay in o--ie" (utthe So)iet is the *ower" &ussia will not stay in the war ee*t throuh the *ower that really rules

it:::ee*t, that is, throuh the So)iet" There-ore =erens.y must ae*t the So)iet and, with his

authority, with his re*utation, lead it:::and lead it, i- he an, his way, -orward into the war"

!t was the one *ossible *lan in reason, but it turned out to be altoether not *ossible in *ratie"=erens.y, to be sure, seemed willin enouh" He seemed to understand the situation" He seemed

to be doubt-ul o- 6ust one thin" He seemed to be doubt-ul o- the willinness o- the 'llies" He

seemed to be doubt-ul o- their willinness to reoni@e the eistene o- the So)iet"

Colonel Thom*son deided to test the 'llies out" He in)ited ertain 'llied re*resentati)es tomeet him in his rooms at the Hotel uro*e" They ame, and they e*ressed the sentiments whih

were the -inal sentene o- death in the =erens.y ha*ter in the history o- &ussia"

't that meetin, at hal- *ast two in the a-ternoon o- Friday, No)ember 2, 191>, there were *resent the -ollowin men7

eneral =no, military attahI to the (ritish embassy at Petrorad and hie- o- the (ritish

+ilitary +ission"

eneral Niselle, holdin the same *osition at Petrorad -or the Frenh"

eneral udson, holdin the same *osition -or the 'merians"

eneral Neuslohows.y, -or =erens.y"

a)id Sos.ie, -or =erens.y"


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Colonel Thom*son, and, as his aide, +a6or 3not yet Colonel4 &obins"

Colonel Thom*son o*ened the meetin by ma.in a brie- statement o- the risis and o- the

instant need o- ation" Then eneral =no too. the -loor"

eneral =no was not interested in the So)iet" He wanted to tal. about the =erens.yo)ernment" He did so" He narrated the =erens.y o)ernment/s histori -railties and -utilities, at

lenth" )erybody *resent .new them, but eneral =no wished to remind e)erybody *resent" !n

*artiular he seemed to wish to remind eneral Neuslohows.y and +r" Sos.ie" He le-t nothinout" 't any rate, he seemed to &obins to lea)e nothin out"

(ut then eneral Niselle too. the -loor" He remembered se)eral -aults o- the =erens.y

o)ernment whih eneral =no had -orotten" He mentioned them" With the So)iet .no.in at

the ram*arts, eneral Niselle remembered all the troubles inside the ram*arts" eneral udson,the 'merian eneral, was an entirely di--erent sort o- *erson" eneral Niselle, bound by the

hains o- his en)ironment, seemed to remain a *er-et indoor *erson to the -inish" He -inished by

reitin the &ussian military disaster at Tarno*ol and by e*ressin the )iew that &ussiansoldiers were owardly dos"

(oth &ussians *resent, eneral Neuslohows.y and +r" Sos.ie, le-t the room" They would

listen no loner" They de*arted red, and also seein red" They were throuh"

(ut eneral =no was not throuh" He entered on a ollo5uy with &obins whih ! thin. ! an

eatly reite"

eneral =no was thorouhly honest, thorouhly *atrioti, thorouhly intellient" He sim*ly

a**arently had not in-ormed himsel-" When &obins thin.s o- eneral =no/s o*inions and

statements on that day in the Hotel uro*e, he is inlined to ras* at the thouht that e)erydi*lomati and military mission in the world ouht to et a able e)ery mornin sayin, 8%nlessyou o outdoors to:day, unless you -ind somethin outdoors to:day, amon the ommon *eo*le

o- the ountry to whih you are aredited, you will be dismissed at niht-all"8

eneral =no said to &obins, 8ou are wastin Colonel Thom*son/s money"8

8!- ! am, eneral,8 said &obins, 8he .nows all about it"8

8ou should ha)e been with =ornilo),8 said eneral =no"

8ou were with him,8 said &obins"

The eneral -lushed" 8Well,8 he said, that e--ort may ha)e been *remature" (ut ! am not

interested in the =erens.y sort o- o)ernment" Too wea." What/s wanted is a military

ditatorshi*" What/s wanted is Cossa.s" These *eo*le need a whi*" ' ditatorshi*/s the thin"8

&obins e*ressed the -ear that they miht et a ditatorshi* in &ussia 5uite di--erent -rom the

.ind o- ditatorshi* eneral =no was thin.in o-"


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8What


23/104

&obins had ta.en *art in muh *ro*aanda, both by word o- mouth and by word o- *rint, in

su**ort o- =erens.y and there-ore aainst the (olshe)i.s" This was .nown; and Colonel

Thom*son, &obins/ hie- in the 'merian &ed Cross +ission, one 5uite naturally said to him7

8&obins, do you .now what will ha**en to you i- our *ro*aanda -ails< ou/ll et shot"8

When &obins ame to [email protected]/s door, there were soldiers there; and when he ot inside, there

was a man standin by [email protected]/s des. who at one showed muh eitement" 8=erens.y:ite,8 he

ried, *ointin to &obins" 8Counter:re)olutionary"8 He had heard &obins addressin the &ussian

soldiers aainst *eae and in -a)or o- -ihtin ermany" 8Counter:re)olutionary,8 he ontinued"

&obins raised his arm in a esture he ho*ed was ommandin and alm, and said to his

inter*reter7

8Tell Commissioner [email protected] it is true ! did e)erythin ! ould to hel* =erens.y and to .ee* the

Commissioner -rom ettin into *ower"8

[email protected] -rowned"

8(ut tell the Commissioner,8 said &obins, 8that ! di--er -rom some o- my -riends" ! .now a or*se

when ! see one, and ! thin. the thin to do with a or*se is to bury it, not to sit u* with it" ! admit

that the Commissioner is in *ower now"8

[email protected] loo.ed molli-ied"

8(ut tell the Commissioner,8 said &obins, 8that i- =ornilo) or =aledine or the C@ar were sittin

in his *lae, ! would be tal.in to them"8

[email protected] loo.ed less molli-ied" &obins hastened to state his whole errand"

8Tell the Commissioner,8 he said, 8that ! ha)e ome to as. him7 Can the 'merian &ed Cross

+ission stay in &ussia with bene-it to the &ussian *eo*le and without disad)antae to the 'llied

ause< !- so, it will stay" !- not, it will o"8

[email protected] loo.ed at &obins steadily, and onsidered" 8What *roo- do you want


24/104

!n ma.in this re5uest &obins had two *ur*oses" He wanted to diso)er two thins" First7 id the

So)iet ha)e the *ower to i)e *rotetion to a train o- su**lies on its way aross all entral

western &ussia -rom Petrorad thirteen hundred miles to the &i)er Pruth< Seond7 Would the

So)iet be willin to mo)e su**lies away -rom the Petrorad distrit, where the ermans miht

et them, to assy, where the ermans were )ery unli.ely to et them<

8es,8 said [email protected], 8!/ll ma.e the order"8

He made it" !t bean7

To Comrades Pod)ois.y, =rylen.o and li@aro)"

JThey were, res*eti)ely, +inister o- War, Commander:in:hie- o- the 'rmy, and +inister o-

Ways and Communiations" !t ontinued7K

=indly issue to the train o- the 'merian &ed Cross +ission a *a*er as.in all authorities, both

military and railway, to i)e all aid and hel*"

$" T&OTA=,

Peo*le/s Commissioner o- Forein '--airs"

The train went throuh on shedule" !t went throuh really on better than shedule" !t arri)ed at

assy in *assener:train time" 'nd it arri)ed without ha)in been in any manner molested or

marauded on the way" &obins ot a reei*t in -ull -or it -rom Colonel 'nderson, head o- the

'merian &ed Cross +ission in &umania"

Thereu*on, when *eo*le told &obins that the So)iet would etend no -ailities to any 'llied

mission -or any 'llied *ur*ose and that anyhow the So)iet had no *ower and no authority in

&ussia outside o- Petrorad, &obins .new -rom his own e*eriene that they were slihtly in

error, at least -or that *art o- &ussia etendin -rom Petrorad southward" They were also slihtly

in error northward"

Fig. 2. =&$N=O:::H' OF TH & '&+

Robins had four hundred thousand cans of condensed milk, and certain

other supplies, medical supplies, lying at Murmansk, the most northerly

port of Russia. He wanted to get them down to Petrograd (especially the

milk) to use in Red Cross relief work among the destitute. He discussed the

prospect with General Poole, head of the British Economic Mission in

Russia. The British had war-ships at Murmansk.

8Duite ho*eless,8 said eneral Poole"


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8Probably the +urmans. So)iet has rabbed all your mil. and drun. it by this time" Thie)es"

+iht as well i)e it u*"8

'ain &obins went to [email protected]" 'ain he ot a So)iet -ran., a So)iet order" 'nd aain it wor.ed"

+a6or 'llan Wardwell, under &obins/ ommand, ot into a rand:dual ar, a ar one a rand:

dual ar, now a So)iet ar, but still retainin all its luurious -urnishins o- the &ussian anient

rIime, 5uite beyond the luury o- 'merian *ri)ate ars; and he *roeeded to +urmans." There

the loal So)iet *erused the order -rom the head5uarters o- the national So)iet at Petrorad; and

some o- the ans o- mil. that had been stolen -rom the do.s by real thie)es were traed and

brouht ba.; and all o- &obins/ su**lies were *ut on (olshe)i. trains and were started to

Petrorad"

They arri)ed in Petrorad, and they were distributed in Petrorad, under (olshe)i. *rotetion,

*er-etly sa-ely" There was a little trouble, indeed, -rom hunry -amilies" &obins wanted to hold

the mil. in his warehouse -or se)eral wee.s and to .ee* it ready -or the time when the reatest

sarity in the loal mil.:su**ly was due to ha**en" Some -ranti -athers and mothers tried to

storm the warehouse and et the mil. out o- it at one" &obins as.ed -or So)iet uards, on behal-

o- the *ro*erty o- the %nited States" He ot them, and they were e--eti)e" He held his su**lies

as lon as he wanted to, and then he distributed them eatly as he wanted to, under a *rotetion

-ormally *romised and sru*ulously deli)ered"

(ut aain he went to [email protected]" This time he hallened him to a sterner *roo-"

There eisted then in &ussia ertain reat aumulated stores o- raw materials, use-ul to the

&ussians but use-ul also and attrati)e to the ermans" There were o**er, lead, ni.el, otton,hides, oils, -ats" O-ten these thins were hard to reah, beause many railroads were bro.en

down or 6ammed" They were hard to reah, but they were *resent, and the ermans were ma.in

e)ery e--ort to et them out" There was an embaro -orbiddin e*orts -rom &ussia to ermany"

(ut the ermans were -indin holes in it, surre*titiously"

't #ibor, a hundred miles northwest o- Petrorad, &obins/ aents -ound -i-ty:-our ars loaded

with metals and destined to Helsin-ors in Finland, and thene to Sweden and to ermany"

&obins had *rudently *ro)ided himsel- with aents who were )iorous enouh to sto* those

ars, but they ould hold them, o- ourse, only tem*orarily" To do anythin with them

*ermanently, they needed an order -rom Petrorad"

&obins said to [email protected] 8Will you sto* those ars *ermanently, and will you do more< Will you

on-isate what/s in them< !t/s all ontraband, ontraband tryin to run the embaro" Will you

issue an order o- on-isation


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[email protected] issued the order, and he went still -arther" He sent some o- that ontraband, use-ul -or

war, u* to +urmans., where it lay under the uns o- the resident (ritish war:shi*s, 5uite

onsiderably seure -rom erman sei@ure"

(y this time &obins was on)ined o- one thin about [email protected]/s *ro:ermanism, namely, that it

too. strane -orms" Why should [email protected] sto* su**lies on their way to ermany< 'nd why

should he send any suh su**lies to a remote *ort, dominated, in the military sense, by the

'llies<

&obins .new, o- ourse, that [email protected] had -ormerly ser)ed ermany in ways whih are *u@@lin

to *eo*le who try to e*lain him as a erman s*y" !n 191G, -or instane, as soon as the war bro.e

out, [email protected] wrote, in Swit@erland, a *am*hlet entitled 8The War and !nternationalism"8 !t was

addressed to the wor.in:men o- ermany and was smuled into ermany by Swiss soialists"

!t denouned the erman Soialist *arty, as a *arty, -or su**ortin the =aiser/s war and it alled

on erman wor.in:men at lare and in eneral to sto* su**ortin it" For this ser)ie the

erman authorities tried [email protected], then a )arant re-uee on the -ae o- the earth, and sentened

him to im*risonment when auht" [email protected] had a lear reolletion o- the news o- that sentene

in the news*a*ers" Three years later, in 191>, at (rest:$ito)s., when he was in)ited, as

Commissioner o- Forein '--airs o- the &ussian &e*ubli, to o to a erman ity to ontinue the

*eae neotiations, he remar.ed7 8! ha)e to remind you that ! still lie under a ertain

mani-estation o- dis*leasure by the erman im*erial o)ernment"8

&obins also .new that in 190L, when the =aiser was i)in the C@ar all *ossible su**ort aainst

the &ussian re)olution o- that year, [email protected] led the re)olution in the Wor.in:men/s So)iet at

Petrorad" He was arrested" He was held in *rison in solitary on-inement -or twel)e months"Then he was eiled -or li-e to Obdors. in Siberia at the mouth o- the Obi &i)er on the 'rti

Oean"

(ut it was his seond e*eriene with eile in Siberia by order o- the C@ar" He had been eiled in

1902 to %st:=ut on the $ena &i)er north o- !r.uts." He had ome to .now the ro*es" On the way

to Obdors. he bro.e loose and -led -i)e hundred miles aross a roadless wilderness o- snow in an

Ostia. sled drawn by reindeer"

He -led suess-ully, all the way to #ienna" There, with +rs" [email protected] and his two sons, he li)ed

in a house o- three rooms and wrote artiles -or re)olutionary *a*ers whih went ba. into&ussia underround"

The 'ustrian o)ernment dro)e him -rom #ienna when the war bro.e out" The Frenh

o)ernment dro)e him -rom Paris" The S*anish o)ernment dro)e him -rom +adrid" 't lenth,

)ia New or., he ot ba. to &ussia in the s*rin o- 191>, admirin all o)ernments:::that is, all

8a*italisti8 o)ernments:::e5ually"


27/104

(ut that was 6ust the *oint" 8This man [email protected],8 arued &obins to himsel-, 8does not li.e any o-

us" He does not li.e any o- us on either side" So why should he be unwillin to trade with the

ermans< The ermans need raw materials; &ussia has them" &ussia needs manu-atured

*roduts; ermany an -urnish them" Why should [email protected] maintain the embaro< Why should

he not, -rom his stand*oint, li-t the embaro and trade with ermany -reely


28/104

8(y stirrin u* the omrades in Frane and in nland and in 'meria to u*set the *oliy o- their

o)ernments by assertin their own re)olutionary soialist will"8

8Some ontrat,8 said &obins, in ood 'merian, whih was at one *ut by the inter*reter into

ood &ussian" [email protected] s*ea.s nlish, but *re-ers to s*ea. &ussian"4

8es, a lare ontrat,8 said [email protected], 8and we may -ail at it" !n that ase we shall, ontinue

neotiations with the ermans alone" Our *roblem then is this7 How to et the ermans to sin a

demorati *eae -or &ussia< Now obser)e"

8ermany, o- ourse, will not want to sin a demorati *eae" ermany will want a *eae with

anneations" ut we have these raw materials. ermany needs them" They are a barainin:

*oint" !- we an .ee* them away -rom ermany we ha)e an arument in reser)e, a bi arument,

*erha*s a winnin arument" Therefore I want to !eep them away" o you see


29/104

ust as under =erens.y, the !ndoor +ind was aain at wor." !ts wor.in was miraulous" The

&ussian mu@hi., ha)in ot a slie o- -resh land -or himsel- out o- the re)olution, was *inin to

i)e it ba." He wanted a landlord aain" He wanted his rent:ta aain" He wanted the .nout on

his ba. aain"

&obins did not belie)e in suh *easants, and no suh *easants a**eared" There were serious

disturbanes later, -or other reasons" (ut the u*risins and u*omins o- C@ar:lo)in *easants

-rom the on and -rom the %rals and -rom the %.raine and -rom the Finnish marshes were

*hantoms" [email protected] and $enin stood" They stood -or a wee., and -or a month, and -or a year, and

-or then some more" (ut the di*lomats were most o- them e5ually stubborn" Ne)er in all that

time did they -ail to see [email protected] and $enin -allin to:morrow"

ust one res*onsible military re*resentati)e o- the 'llied ause in Petrorad in 191> was able to

thin. o- &ussia and ermany and raw materials in terms o- atual &ussian *olitial -at" He was

*unished -or it by his o)ernment"

He was an 'merian:::en" William #" udson" He had been o--iial 'merian military obser)er

in the &usso:a*anese War" He had been a member o- the &oot +ission to &ussia" When the

&oot +ission le-t &ussia, he was retained in &ussia beause o- his s*eial intimate .nowlede o-

&ussian a--airs" He beame head o- our +ilitary +ission on the &ussian -ront and also military

attahI to our embassy"

eneral udson saw that $enin and [email protected] were oin, in -at, to last awhile" He saw, there-ore,

that i- a se*arate undemorati *eae between &ussia and ermany was oin to be *re)ented, it

would ha)e to be *re)ented throuh $enin and [email protected]; and he saw also that i- &ussian rawmaterials were oin to be .e*t out o- ermany in the winter o- 191>:1B, they would ha)e to be

.e*t out throuh $enin/s and [email protected]/s in-luene and onsent" eneral udson was willin to

wor. throuh anybody, ood man or bad man or de)il, to .ee* raw materials out o- ermany" He

did not want ermany to win" He did not want ermany to et o**er to use in shells to .ill

'merians" He went to see the man in &ussia who ould .ee* o**er -rom oin to ermany"

He went to see [email protected]" For oin to see [email protected] he was realled to 'meria by diret order -rom

Washinton"

The 'llied and 'merian o)ernments, rather than admit the eistene o- [email protected], let the

ermans do all the rabbin o- &ussian raw materials on the &ussian -rontier"

Ne)ertheless, it was absolutely neessary -or the 'llied and 'merian o)ernments to tal. to

[email protected] on some sub6ets, at some time, somehow" They had embassies in Petrorad; and these

embassies had to et *olie *rotetion, -or instane, and telera*h ser)ie, and similar ourtesies

and -ailities" !n order to et them, they absolutely had to tal. to some (olshe)i.s" They would

not tal. to them 8o--iially"8 (ut they tal.ed to them 8uno--iially"8


30/104

For the 'merian embassy &obins was the 8uno--iial8 tal.er" He was not a 8di*lomat"8 He was

not a member o- the lub, so to s*ea.; and, aordinly, he ould o to Smolny on behal- o- the

'merian ambassador without in the slihtest deree om*romisin the 'merian ambassador"

He went, and he .e*t on oin, month a-ter month, at the 'merian ambassador/s re5uest" He

was 8uno--iial,8 but he was reoni@ed"

!n all that -ollows it should, there-ore, be thorouhly understood that &obins was not oin to

Smolny in any merely *ri)ate a*aity"

To bein with, he was now head o- the 'merian &ed Cross +ission" Colonel Thom*son had

one ba. to 'meria in the ho*e o- bein able to brin the -ats o- the &ussian situation to

'merian o--iial attention" Colonel &obins had ta.en his *lae"

Seondly, and es*eially, &obins was the 'merian ambassador/s 8uno--iial8 aide in all dealins

with Smolny" One an order ame -rom Washinton -orbiddin &obins to o to Smolny any

more" The ambassador seured its anelation" He wanted &obins to o" +onths later, when

&obins was at +osow, and when the ambassador was at #oloda, &obins reei)ed a ertain

teleram -rom the ambassador" !t showed &obins/ status learly, and it to:day e)idenes the

nature o- the o**ortunities throuh whih &obins seured his .nowlede o- Smolny/s a--airs" !t

said7

o not -eel ! should be 6usti-ied in as.in you to remain loner in +osow to nelet o- the

*roseution o- your &ed Cross wor.; but this does not im*ly any la. o- a**reiation o- the

ser)ie you ha)e rendered me in .ee*in me ad)ised onernin matters im*ortant -or me to

.now and i)in suestions and ad)ie as well as eing a #hannel of unoffi#ial #ommuni#ationwith the Soviet $overnment.

8%no--iially8 &obins ot *rotetion -or the embassy aainst the anarhists"

!n 'meria we thin. o- anarhists as -urti)e indi)idual riminals" !n Petrorad they were a

reular orani@ed *olitial *arty" They had head5uarters and loal branh o--ies and

news*a*ers" Their leadin s*eialty was denounin the (olshe)i.s -or bein too mild, too tame"

The (olshe)i.s were lettin the a*italists li)e" They were lettin the boureois sur)i)e" The

boureois should be instantly e*ro*riated, instantly eterminated" The (olshe)i.s were not

doin it" $enin and [email protected] were traitors to the *roletariate" They were la.in in 8true *roletarian ruthlessness"8

(esides this leadin s*eialty, the anarhists had a minor one" !t was to denoune the %nited

States" The anarhists were the earnest anti:'merian *arty" They wanted +ooney out o- 6ail in

San Franiso:::their omrade +ooney" !- the 'merians did not let +ooney out, so muh the

worse -or the 'merians" 8#iolene will answer )iolene"8


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!n *ursuit o- this aim the anarhists used to threaten the 'merian embassy" One mornin, at

about ele)en o/lo., the ambassador s*o.e to &obins aniously" ' woman had alled on the

/*hone" She would not i)e her name; but she had an im*ortant messae, and she would deli)er

that messae *ersonally i- the ambassador would send somebody to meet her" The ambassador

sent +r" Huntinton and +r" ohnson, and the woman told her story"

She had i)en a *arty to some -riends, at her house" There was a .no. at the door" ' sailor stood

outside, with wine, in bottles, in a sa." He wanted to sell it" !t was ood wine, he said" He had

ot it, he said, -rom the ellar o- the !talian mbassy" 'nd he went on to say7 8!/ll soon ha)e some

more" We/re oin to blow u* the 'merian mbassy to:niht"8

8So,8 said the ambassador, 8that/s where we are These anarhists are ettin too stron" They/re

omin to be the *ower" Smolny an/t ontrol them"8

&obins went to the mbassy that niht and stayed there till on into mornin" There was no

blowin u*" There ne)er was" (ut, learly, there was an intention to -rihten the embassy" (ut

why -rihten the embassy< Why, ee*t to dri)e it out o- &ussia< &obins *ut deteti)es on the

trail o- the woman" They loated her and loated her reord" She was the di)ored wi-e o- an

'merian business man, and she was on the boo.s o- the (ritish Seret Ser)ie and o- the

Frenh Seret Ser)ie and o- the !talian Seret Ser)ie as a erman aent"

&obins went to the seretary o- the Counil o- Peo*le/s Commissioners:::a entleman named

(onh (rue)ih:::and told him that 8this anarhist business is oin too -ar"8 id the Counil o-

Peo*le/s Commissioners want to dri)e the 'merian embassy out o- &ussia< Or did it want the

'merian embassy to stay< !- it wanted it to stay, it ouht to do somethin"

That niht the Counil o- Peo*le/s Commissioners sent its soldiers to the head5uarters o- the

anarhists" The anarhists had mahine uns" There was a battle" The hie- o- the anarhists was

shot" +uh material:::suar, shoes, tea, and so on:::was a*tured" The net day the anarhist

news*a*er urevestni! said, bitterly7

The thie)es and murderers -rom Smolny ha)e bro.en into our head5uarters and ha)e shot our

belo)ed leader and ha)e stolen our su**lies" Fellow%wor!men& we live under a hell of a

proletarian government.

't +osow also the anarhists were a reularly orani@ed *olitial *arty" When the So)iet

o)ernment mo)ed to +osow, and when &obins mo)ed there a-ter it, there was anarhist

trouble aain, whih aain showed the method and the -ormula o- erman intriue in &ussia"

&obins ot into his motor:ar one day to o down to the telera*h station" The ambassador was

at #oloda" )ery day, at a ertain hour, the (olshe)i. o)ernment *laed at the dis*osal o-


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&obins and the ambassador a telera*h wire between +osow and #oloda -or on-idential

seret o--iial 3or 8uno--iial84 messaes" &obins ot to the telera*h station, and sent o-- some

messaes and reei)ed some, and ame outdoors aain to his ar" 's he ame out, some ten

armed men were surroundin his ar and sayin, 8&e5uisitioned"8

8&e5uisitioned by whom


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days are numbered"8 $enin listened" On other oasions he was inisi)e, immediate, all there" On

this oasion, as he listened, he seemed )ery -ar away" He a)e no answer" That is, he a)e no

order and no *romise o- one"

The net day [email protected] alled &obins on the /*hone and as.ed him to ome to see him" &obins

went, and [email protected] said7

8Colonel &obins, !/m oin to tell you all about it, and when !/)e told you you/ll understand

&ussian *olitis better and you/ll see that &ussian *olitis in some ways is )ery muh li.e

*olitis anywhere else"

8These anarhists o- ours in &ussia too. *art in the re)olution aainst the C@ar" They hel*ed the

re)olution" There-ore they had a ertain standin when the re)olution was suess-ul" =erens.y

ne)er dared to atta. the lub at 9 Po)ars.aya" The anarhists ontinued under =erens.y" They

ontinue now" ou in-orm me that they ha)e thirteen enters in +osow" ou are mista.en" They

ha)e twenty:si"

8Now ! do :not need to tell you that the ermans are wor.in amon them" ou diso)ered that

-at -or yoursel- in Petrorad" The ermans are wor.in amon them here" 'nd e)ery day we are

atta.ed in the anarhist *ress and at anarhist meetins" Why, then, do we not raid them< Well,

we will" We will in a -ew days" ou will see"8

8(ut why not now


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(ut the erman su**ort o- the anarhists was only, a-ter all, to be e*eted" !t was in *reise

aordane with their -a)orite -ormula o- intriue in &ussia"

%nder the C@ar the ermans had s*read their in-luene as widely as they ould amon the

o--iials o- the etreme &iht, who were more reationary than the C@ar; and they had also sent

their aents amon all the re)olutionary -ations -ihtin the C@ar" %nder =erens.y they a)e all

*ossible aid to the -riends o- the de*osed C@ar:::onser)ati)es; and, on the other hand, they

added their insinere *eae *ro*aanda to the enuine *eae *ro*aanda o- the radial enemies

o- =erens.y" %nder $enin and [email protected] they o--ered su**ort to many -riends o- the de*osed

=erens.y, some o- whom ae*ted it, in order to restore 8law and order8 in &ussia; while,

simultaneously, they sent munitions -rom ermany to the anarhists, in order to establish a

soiety in &ussia without law and without order" They tried, o- ourse, to .ee* their -iners in all

&ussian *arties, inludin the *arties in *ower; but their s*eial -a)orite -ormula was to i)e

s*eial attention to the *arties at the most etreme onser)ati)e &iht and to the *arties at the

most etreme radial $e-t at any i)en time, and so at all times to *lay both ends aainst themiddle and aainst any eistin &ussian o)ernment at all"

[email protected], in return, was shootin at the ermans with his own munitions, )erbal munitions,

merely )erbal" (ut they had an e--et whih the ermans in time sadly reali@ed"

't (rest:$ito)s. a ertain erman on-ronted [email protected]" His name was Ho--mann:::eneral

Ho--mann" 't (rest:$ito)s. he was )ery o)erbearin" 's [email protected] said a-terward, with )iolent

resentment7 8+r" =uehlmann was ermany/s di*lomati re*resentati)e, but eneral Ho--mann

was ermany/s military re*resentati)e:::and her real re*resentati)e" Showin no onsideration

-or +r" =uehlmann/s di*lomati on)entions, the eneral se)eral times *ut his soldierly boot onthe table around whih a om*liated 6udiial debate was de)elo*in" 'nd we, -or our *art, did

not doubt -or a sinle minute that 6ust this boot o- eneral Ho--mann/s was the only element o-

serious erman reality in these neotiations"8

(ut eneral Ho--mann li)ed to ease to des*ise the *ower o- [email protected] and $enin and (olshe)i.s"

Fi-teen months later, with the war ended and with ermany in de-eat and re)olution, he said to

(en Heht, o- The Chi#ago 'aily )ews*

8!mmediately a-ter on5uerin those (olshe)i.s, we were on5uered by them" Our )itorious

army on the astern -ront beame rotten with (olshe)ism" We ot to the *oint where we did notdare to trans-er ertain o- our astern di)isions to the West" Our military mahine beame the

*rintin:*ress o- (olshe)i. *ro*aanda" !t was (olshe)i. *ro*aanda that rotted ermany -rom

the ast and bro.e her morale and a)e us de-eat and this re)olution you now see ruinin us"8

!n an artile in a New or. Soialist *a*er in the s*rin o- 191> [email protected] had -oreseen and

-oretold *reisely that result" He had said7


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8The reation o- a re)olutionary labor o)ernment in &ussia will be a mortal blow to the

Hohen@ollerns beause it will i)e the -inal stimulus to the re)olutionary mo)ement o- the

erman *roletariate"8

[email protected] was .een:sihted:::and blind" He was blind to the reatest neessity oin" He was blind

to the neessity o- 'llied military *ressure on the =aiser/s armies" His hatred o- 8a*italism8

blinded him" !- these 8a*italisti8 'llies were *hysially )itorious, said [email protected], they would

ma.e a 8a*italisti8 and anti:demorati 'llied *eae, 6ust as a )itorious =aiser would ma.e a

8a*italisti8 and anti:demorati erman *eae" [email protected]/s *ro*aandist am*ain aainst

ermany s*ran -rom no im*ulse to hel* the 'llies" !t s*ran sim*ly -rom an intense im*ulse to

hel* Soialism"

&obins/ )iew was7 8Here is a man who is shootin with a *ower-ul enine o- *ro*aanda at all

/a*italism"/ (ut the -irst /a*italism/ he an hit, and the only one he an immediately and

e--eti)ely hit, is the one riht net door to him on the ma* :::ermany" For Hea)en/s sa.e

enourae him to shoot"8

This *oliy, -or a moment, we thouht ood" The o)ernment at Washinton, o- its own motion,

thouht it ood" ' onsiderable sum o- *ubli 'merian money, out o- the treasury o- the %nited

States, ame to &ussia -rom Washinton and was s*ent, to &obins/ .nowlede, in *uttin

(olshe)i. *ro*aanda into ermany" !t was s*ent by the 'merian Committee on Publi

!n-ormation" Part o- it went throuh the &ussian &e)olutionary (olshe)i. *ro*aanda bureau"

The ermans ould ause us o- ha)in used ertain (olshe)i.s as our 8aents"8 (ut they were

not our 8aents"8 They were ser)in their own *ur*oses" &obins o-ten saw how om*letely

inde*endent they ould be"

He heard one o- ertain (olshe)i. 8missionaries8 who were about to start -or the -ront, to

smule themsel)es into 'ustria in order to arry on their *ro*aanda there in *erson" He too.

se)enty:-i)e thousand rubles and went to their -arewell meetin" He thouht that the se)enty:-i)e

thousand miht do them some ood and miht do the =aiser some harm" He made a little s*eeh

and o--ered his little ontribution" !t was re6eted" His hearers had alulated the e*enses o-

their tri*, they said, and they ha**ened to ha)e all the money they needed" !- any 'merians

would li.e to ome alon *ersonally, they would be welome" (ut the money was not neessary"

So, with than.s, they de*arted to dode the 'ustrian sentries and to arry (olshe)i. words into

erman ities"

They had a little *a*er, 'ie Fa#!el +The Tor#h,. !t was an arumentati)e *a*er, showin the

dastardly di*lomay o- the erman 8a*italisti rulin lasses"8 O- this *a*er the (olshe)i.s

arried tons, in issue a-ter issue, into and throuh the 'ustrian lines and the erman lines" The

(olshe)i.s also had an illustrated *a*er, 'ie -ussis#he -evolution in ildern +The -ussia

-evolution in Pi#tures,& whih showed &ed uards in ation, and barriades on the streets o-


36/104

+osow, and the hih re)olutionary tribunal, and other beauties and ha**inesses o- a land in

whih the *eo*le were rulin"

'lso, and *erha*s abo)e all, they had innumerable 8*rolamations8 o- the sort [email protected] atually

too. alon with him to (rest:$ito)s. to i)e to eneral Ho--mann/s soldiers, and did i)e to

them, in millions o- o*ies" These 8*rolamations8 *ointed out &ussia/s demand -or *eae, as

shown in the )otes o- the So)iets, and said, -or instane7 8!- you will o ba. home and start a

re)olution aainst" the =aiser, no &ussian soldier will -ollow you" Our soldiers will not in)ade

your ountry" !- you doubt us, as. them& in the trenhes riht o**osite you" 'll they want in

ermany is that you should ha)e a re)olution li.e ours"8

Suh was the messae o- the *ro*aanda, and suh also was the messae o- [email protected]/s di*lomay"

)erythin [email protected] did at (rest:$ito)s., e)erythin he did as Commissioner o- Forein '--airs

-rom the time he too. the o--ie to the time he le-t it, had really 6ust one essential aim7 to ma.e a

Soialist re)olution in ermany, in order to save the -ussian So#ialist revolution y getting

-ussias most dangerous neighor and /uropes most developed #enter swung over from

"#apitalism " to the "#o%operative #ommonwealth. "

&obins saw [email protected] o-ten durin the *eriod o- the (rest:$ito)s. neotiations" !t was [email protected]/s

lima" !t was the beinnin o- his *artial deline" He was in his most tem*eramental tem*er"

One midniht, at a meetin o- the eeuti)e ommittee o- the 'll:&ussian Conress o- So)iets,

he a**eared in the doorway, *ale and ehausted and des*airin" 8The armistie is one,8 he said"

8eneral Ho--mann re-uses to aree not to shi-t troo*s -rom the astern -ront to the Western" We

do not are -or the 'llied o)ernments" We are under no obliations to the 'llied o)ernments"(ut it would not be a demorati *eae i- we allowed that shi-tin" We will not allow it" Ne)er

will we allow it" ! ha)e delared to eneral Ho--mann that we withdraw -rom the neotiations"8

'lmost in olla*se, he disa**eared" 't -our o/lo. he returned" He was -resh, in ood olor,

euberant" 8eneral Ho--mann has yielded,8 he ried" 8He has areed to our terms aainst the

shi-tin o- troo*s" We told him that otherwise we would address oursel)es to the wor.in:men o-

ermany and would say to them7 /o you .now why there is no *eae with &ussia< !t is beause

erman enerals whose breasts are o)ered with medals -or the slauhters o- masses o- wor.in:

men on the astern -ront are re-usin to ma.e *eae with &ussia unless they are *ermitted to

ta.e erman soldiers -rom the a**roahin sa-ety o- the astern -ront and *lune them into thehell and death o- the Wester

a traitor's own story - raymond robins in bolshevik russia

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