File No. 861.00/2774
[Enclosure—Translation]
The Netherlands Minister, in
charge of British, Japanese, and Belgian interests; the
Danish Minister, in charge of French interests: the Swiss
Minister, in charge of Italian interests; and the Norwegian
Charge, in charge of American interests, to the
Soviet Commissar for Foreign
Affairs
Petrograd,
August 26, 1918.
The undersigned chiefs of missions of the neutral countries in
Russia, in charge of the interests of the nationals of the Allied
powers, referring to:
- (1)
- The declaration signed by the Commissioner for Foreign
Affairs Chicherin,
dated August 9;
- (2)
- The declaration of the French Minister at Stockholm,
addressed to the French Consul General at Moscow and
announcing that the English and French Governments granted
the conditions imposed by Commissioner Chicherin for the
repatriation of French subjects and, in general, all Allied
military and civilian nationals to leave Russia at the same
time as the official representatives;
- (3)
- The telegram of August 18 from Mr. Chicherin to Mr.
Oudendijk, the Dutch Minister,
relative to the conditions imposed on the British
Government;
- (4)
- The despatch of August 23, addressed to Mr. Chicherin by the Dutch
Minister, declaring that the English Government accepted the
only condition mentioned in the declaration of August 9
relative to Comrade Litvinov;
Express the surprise that they have felt on learning that the
Commissioner of the People for Foreign Affairs had, by a note of
August 24 addressed to the Swedish Consul General at Moscow (and to
the Dutch Minister), formulated new demands to which he declared he
would subordinate the authorization of the government of the
Federated Russian Republic of Soviets for the free departure of the
military and consular missions and their personnel.
These new conditions may be summarized as follows:
- (a)
- The government of the Russian Republic demands to be
allowed to communicate with the Comrade
Litvinov and to receive from him
information regarding his situation.
- (b)
- It asks for a complete list of the Russian citizens with
an official character, including Comrade Baitler.
- (c)
- It will await the notice of the arrival of Comrade
Litvinov and his colleagues at
Bergen before authorizing the departure from Russia of the
French and English diplomats as well as of the personnel of
the consulates, whose entry into neutral territory should
coincide with the liberation from English domination of
Comrade Litvinov and his
colleagues.
- (d)
- As regards the French mission, Comrade Chicherin asks that his Red
Cross delegates be permitted to go to France to elaborate a
plan of evacuation of the Russian soldiers in France, a plan
the putting into force of which should precede the beginning
of the evacuation from Russia of the members of the French
mission.
- (e)
- The Commissioner for Foreign Affairs declares, finally,
that as the liberation of the interned French and English
must coincide with the cessation of repressive measures
against the adherents of the Soviet authorities in the
Allied countries and on the territories occupied by the
Czecho-Slovaks and the English and Allied troops, it is
indispensable to delegate immediately in the occupied
regions some representatives of the International and
Russian Red Cross to cooperate in the settlement of this
question.
The representatives of the neutral countries point out that these new
demands will still necessitate long pourparlers, made more difficult by the absence of direct
telegraphic communications, and that the satisfaction to be given
them would be the subject of serious negotiations, to such a degree
that a very long lime must elapse before the liberation of the
military missions, consulates and [Page 665] nationals of the Allied countries. Further,
there do not exist official representatives of the International Red
Cross other than the members of the International Committee of the
Red Cross at Geneva.
These demands, placed on a ground when the questions of sovereignty
of the Allied nations are engaged, can not, in the opinion of the
undersigned diplomatic representatives, be accepted as they are by
the interested powers.
On the other hand, the free circulation of the diplomatic and
consular representatives guaranteed by all the laws and rules of
international law, consecrated further by the constant practice of
civilized peoples, must be respected by the Soviet government
without being subordinated to reserves relative to certain points of
application.
In view of these considerations the undersigned diplomatic
representatives formulate an energetic protest against the new
demands of the government of the Soviets as well as against the
delay brought to the solution of the question of repatriation. They
make, in the name of the Governments whose interests they represent,
the most express reserves. They will hold the authors of this denial
of justice personally responsible and will demand, at the proper
time and place, reparation for the injury suffered by the persons
whose interests have been confided to them.
[File copy not signed]
