Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1918, Russia, Volume I
File No. 861.00/3186
The Chargé in Sweden ( Whitehouse) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 8.]
Sir: With reference to your circular telegram of September 20, regarding the general protest that should be made against the inhumanity of the Bolsheviks, I have the honor to enclose herewith a copy of the memorandum received from the Swedish Government in answer thereto, together with translation of the answer of Chicherin to the note of the neutral powers, which was sent to me by the Swedish Government with the memorandum.
I have [etc.]
The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the American Legation
His Majesty’s Government fully participate in the feelings which have caused the Government of the United States to propose that an action should be taken with a view of putting an end to the outrages in Russia. As would be known, His Majesty’s Government have already taken steps in the direction suggested in the American proposition, inasmuch as the Swedish representative in Petrograd has taken part in the action by which the foreign representatives at that place in the name of humanity appealed to the government of Soviets to put a stop to the terrorism.
Whereas in the note that was on that occasion addressed to the government of Soviets all the arguments have already been made use of that could or should be brought forward in that connection, His Majesty’s Government much regret that they can not see their way to participate in a further action as suggested by the American Government.
Reply of the Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs ( Chicherin) to the Joint Note of the Diplomatic Corps
The note which was handed us by the representatives of the neutral powers on September 5 is an act of grave interference in the internal affairs of Russia. The Soviet government could let it remain entirely unanswered, but the Soviet government always with pleasure takes advantage of every opportunity to explain the meaning of its policy to the masses of people in all countries, since the government not only represents the labor class in Russia, but also all exploited humanity. The Commissariat of the People gives the following reply regarding the questions touched in the note:
The neutral powers try to represent a picture of the oppressed bourgeoisie in Russia, a picture which is to arouse deep indignation of the bourgeoisie of the entire world. We do not intend to deny the assertions made by the representatives of the neutral powers, who, in their note, repeat all the lies which are spread by the Russian bourgeoisie about the Red Army. Neither do we wish to deny assertions regarding concrete cases of abuse since the representatives [Page 706] of the neutral powers, in the first place, do not give any concrete cases, and in the second place, abuses on the part of individuals always occur in every war, and we are engaged in a civil war. But the representatives of the neutral powers do not protest against separate abuses of irresponsible persons, but against the régime which is carried out by the workmen’s and peasants’ government in its fight against the exploiting classes. Before we explain why the workmen’s and peasants’ government uses the red terror, against which the representatives of the neutral powers protest in the name of humanity, and because of which they threaten us with the condemnation of the whole civilized world, we permit ourselves to ask a few questions. Is it known to the representatives that the international war is now in its fifth year? In this war small groups, consisting of bankers, generals and bureaucrats, have thrown the masses of people of all the world to kill and destroy each other in order that the capitalists might earn milliards for their own account. Do you know that in this war not only millions have died at the front, but that both belligerents have bombarded open cities and killed defenseless women and children? Do you know that one of the belligerent parties in this war condemned tens of millions of people to famine by cutting this country off from the supply of grain, in spite of international laws? That this belligerent party hopes that the starvation of the children will force the other party to surrender to the victor, grace or no grace? Do you know that the other party makes prisoners of hundreds of thousands of defenseless, peaceful “enemy “citizens and sends them to compulsory labor far from their homes, taking from them all right to defense? Is it known to you that in all the belligerent countries the ruling capitalist clique has taken from the masses the freedom of assembly, the freedom of the press, the freedom of strike, that for every attempt to protest against this white terror the bourgeoisie condemn the workmen to prison or send them to the front to kill, in that way, every thought of their human rights? All these pictures of the crushing of the laboring class in the interest of capital, all these pictures of the white terror against the proletariat, are very well known to the leaders of the neutral capitalistic countries and their representatives in Russia. Still they seem either to have forgotten the exalted ideals of humanity or else they have forgotten, in this case, the masses? who have been killed on the battlefields.
The so-called neutral powers did not dare to protest with a single word against the white terror of capital, nor did they wish to, because the bourgeoisie in ah neutral countries have helped the capitalists of the belligerent countries to continue the war, earning milliards on deliveries made to both belligerent camps.
We take the liberty of putting still another question. Have you, the representatives of the neutral powers, heard anything about the massacre of the Sinn Peins in Dublin, about the execution, without trial, of hundreds of Irishmen with Skeffington at the head? Have you heard anything about the white terror in Finland, about tens of thousands who have been shot, about tens of thousands of workmen imprisoned, about their wives and children, against which no protests have been or will be made? Have you heard about the mass executions of workmen and peasants in the Ukraine, about the mass execution of workmen by the heroic Czecho-Slovaks, the hired bandits of French-English capital?
The governments of the so-called neutral powers have surely heard about them but it has never occurred to them to protest against these actions of the bourgeoisie who suppress the labor movement since they themselves, in their own countries, are forced to suppress every labor movement in order to favor the interests of the bourgeoisie thereby. It is sufficient to recall the labor [Page 707] demonstrations in Denmark, Norway, Holland and Switzerland which were put down with the aid of the military. The workmen in Holland, Switzerland and Denmark have not had time to act before the Governments of these countries have had time to mobilize their military forces to suppress the slightest protests on the part of the masses of people. If the representatives of the neutral powers threaten us with the indignation of the civilized world and protest against the red terror in the name of humanity, we beg to point out to them that they have not been sent here to protect humanity, but to protect the interests of capitalistic countries, and we advise them not to threaten us with the indignation of the whole civilized world which is covered from head to foot with the blood of workmen, but to fear the fury of the masses of people of the whole world, who are marching against the “civilization” which has led humanity to this butchery which is without result. In all the capitalistic world there exists the white terror against the laboring class. The working class in Russia has destroyed the power of Tsarism, whose bloody régime has not called forth any protests from the neutral powers. The working class in Russia has destroyed the reign of the bourgeoisie in Russia which, under the flag of the revolution and the silence of the neutral powers, executed soldiers who did not wish to spill blood in the interests of the war speculators. They also executed peasants who declared the earth to be their property, the earth which they have plowed for a hundred years and moistened with their sweat. The greater part of the Russian people, as represented by the second Workmen’s Congress, have put the power in the hands of the workmen’s and peasants’ government. A group of capitalists who wanted to regain their factories and banks which had been taken from them in favor of the people, a group of property owners who wish to rob the peasants of their ground, a group of generals who again wish to force tile workmen and peasants to obedience with a whip, all these did not approve of this, the decision of the Russian people. With the help of foreign capital they have mobilized counter-revolutionary bands with whose assistance they cut Russia off from bread so that the hand of starvation may quell the Russian revolution. They have become convinced that it is impossible to overthrow the workmen’s government which is supported by the masses of people. They try to instigate counter-revolutionary disturbances amongst these masses in order to hinder the workmen’s and peasants’ government in its efforts to lead the country out of the anarchy into which the criminal politics of the former government have brought it. They have sold Russia in the south, north and east to foreign imperialistic countries, gathering foreign bayonets from all directions they could get them. Behind the forest of these foreign bayonets they send hired murderers to kill the leaders of the laboring class, in whom not only Russia’s proletariat but all humanity see the realization of their hopes.
This counter-revolutionary clique which utilizes foreign and Russian capital to force slavery and war on the Russian people, this clique the Russian workmen will ruthlessly annihilate. We declare before the proletariat of the whole world that no outward protests and representations will deter the hand which is to punish those who raise arms against the workmen and the poorest peasants in Russia, who wish to starve them and who wish to drive them into new wars in the interests of capital. We assure equal rights and liberties to all those who loyally fulfil the duties which belong to the citizens of the socialistic Russian Republic. To them we bring peace, against our enemies a ruthless war!
We are convinced that the masses of people in all countries which are oppressed and terrorized by small groups of exploiters will understand that violence in Russia is used only in the holy interests for the liberation of the [Page 708] masses, and that they will not only understand us, but even follow the same path as we.
We reject most energetically the interference of the neutral capitalistic powers in favor of the Russian bourgeoisie and declare that in every attempt on the part of representatives of these powers to exceed the limits for the lawful protection of the interests of their citizens, we will see an attempt to support the Russian counter-revolution.