John Van A. MacMurray to Secretary of State
Title
John Van A. MacMurray to Secretary of State
Creator
MacMurray, John Van Antwerp, 1881-1960
Identifier
WWP25206
Date
1918 September 23
Description
Need for US troops in Siberia.
Source
Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers
Publisher
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum
Subject
World War, 1914-1918--Russia
United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces in Siberia
Contributor
Danna Faulds
Relation
WWP25204
WWP25205
Language
English
Provenance
Document scan was taken from Library of Congress microfilm reel of the Wilson Papers. WWPL volunteers transcribed the text.
Text
Blue
Peking
Dated September 23rd, 1918.
Recd. 7.02pm.
Secretary of State,
Washington, D. C.
Important.
September 23rd, 8 pm.
Following received from Harris, Irkutsk: “114, Twenty-fifth For Department. Short resume present conditions Siberia based on personal observation. No enthusiasm shown among people for recruiting or for continuation of war. All statements by the various Governments, no matter what nature, received with indifference. If Czechs were removed from any city in Siberia, urals or Samara districts, Bolsheviki would immediately get control again. Time wasted in pelty politics. No large grasp of whole situation or ability, even among intelligent classes, to view procedure from an all Russian standpoint. Their horizon bounded by what they can see from their village church steeples. Declarations of all Russian assembly just held at Ufa read well from their allied standpoint and were framed for that purpose but policy for regeneration Russia internally so radically socialistic as concerns land question, private ownership, manufacturing and trade, that is practically the Bolshevik plan form and would only sink Russia deeper in the mire if practiced. No strong men have come forward in any of the Governments as yet. German agitations still fermenting strong. Swedish agents responsible for much of it. Unless Allies are prepared to assist Czechs in their present struggle against the Germans in European Russia, the Allies in all fairness to the Czechs should reasonably withdraw them from the whole country so they may not be needlessly sacrificed. Czechs doomed to failure if dependent alone upon help of Siberian and Russians. The presence of at least fifty thousand allied forces in company with Czechs at the front absolutely necessary for prestige and morale generally and to knit together the Russian troops. Presence of American troops in these operations is highly desirable. The Russian turn of mind at present is such that they think Americans lay a little too much stress upon sending of Y. M. C. A. agents, Red Cross representatives, labor advisers, agricultural experts and commissions of merchants. While appreciating all these things they express themselves at this moment as being strongly in favor of seeing a few thousand American soldiers marching through their cities.”
MACMURRAY
Peking
Dated September 23rd, 1918.
Recd. 7.02pm.
Secretary of State,
Washington, D. C.
Important.
September 23rd, 8 pm.
Following received from Harris, Irkutsk: “114, Twenty-fifth For Department. Short resume present conditions Siberia based on personal observation. No enthusiasm shown among people for recruiting or for continuation of war. All statements by the various Governments, no matter what nature, received with indifference. If Czechs were removed from any city in Siberia, urals or Samara districts, Bolsheviki would immediately get control again. Time wasted in pelty politics. No large grasp of whole situation or ability, even among intelligent classes, to view procedure from an all Russian standpoint. Their horizon bounded by what they can see from their village church steeples. Declarations of all Russian assembly just held at Ufa read well from their allied standpoint and were framed for that purpose but policy for regeneration Russia internally so radically socialistic as concerns land question, private ownership, manufacturing and trade, that is practically the Bolshevik plan form and would only sink Russia deeper in the mire if practiced. No strong men have come forward in any of the Governments as yet. German agitations still fermenting strong. Swedish agents responsible for much of it. Unless Allies are prepared to assist Czechs in their present struggle against the Germans in European Russia, the Allies in all fairness to the Czechs should reasonably withdraw them from the whole country so they may not be needlessly sacrificed. Czechs doomed to failure if dependent alone upon help of Siberian and Russians. The presence of at least fifty thousand allied forces in company with Czechs at the front absolutely necessary for prestige and morale generally and to knit together the Russian troops. Presence of American troops in these operations is highly desirable. The Russian turn of mind at present is such that they think Americans lay a little too much stress upon sending of Y. M. C. A. agents, Red Cross representatives, labor advisers, agricultural experts and commissions of merchants. While appreciating all these things they express themselves at this moment as being strongly in favor of seeing a few thousand American soldiers marching through their cities.”
MACMURRAY
Original Format
Letter
To
Lansing, Robert, 1864-1928
Files
Collection
Citation
MacMurray, John Van Antwerp, 1881-1960, “John Van A. MacMurray to Secretary of State,” 1918 September 23, WWP25206, World War I Letters, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.