File No. 861.00/1885
The Ambassador in Russia ( Francis ) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 27, 5.59 p.m.]
199. It is reported that Soviet government having received no reply to demand for French Ambassador’s recall, has again sent a radio repeating demand.
French Ambassador reports that reliable Frenchman, Moscow, had an interview with Patriarch, head of Greek Church, who related talk with Mirbach who visited Patriarch. Patriarch told M. that while the church abstained from interference in political affairs, it naturally sympathized with party of law and order which it seems to me was a mild statement when the course of Soviet government had been aggressively hostile to church. M. replied that he had proposed to conservative intelligentsia to support their government if it would overthrow Bolsheviks and would even revise Brest treaty. This accords with my information from other sources and accounts for resolution adopted, see my 181, May 18, 9 p.m.1 While this highly creditable to right-minded Russians, Allies should not put their patriotism and endurance to a test too severe.