File No. 861.00/1998
The Consul at Moscow (Poole) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 11, 11.07 a.m.]
588. Difficulties between local Soviets and Czecho-Slovak troops starting apparently from minor incident has grown into serious conflict between them and Red Army especially at Chelyabinsk. Williams reports from Samara Soviet troops being rushed toward that city. Railway cut east of Ufa. From Ekaterinburg Palmer3 telegraphs unconfirmed reports of trouble at Omsk as well as Chelyabinsk. [Page 184] All trains toward east and south of Ekaterinburg held up. Consulate General has had no telegrams from Siberia for four days.
In Lomzha [Moscow?] martial law has been declared; none but Bolshevik newspapers appeared this morning. These contain long and rather hysterical appeals to the people setting forth that, owing treachery bourgeoisie, bread famine imminent, that counter-revolutionary plotters have caused Czech outbreak and that counterrevolutionary plot has been discovered in Moscow. Have been no disturbances here but Commissariat Foreign Affairs informs Consul General that many arrests are being carried out. Commissariat expresses grave concern over Dutov’s activities and reactionary movement in Don led by Krasnow.1 Evince fear Czechs will join these movements and remark informally that they have proof French haw instigated all the trouble. This untrue, moreover Czechs have heretofore resolutely refused to mix in Russian internal affairs. French using best endeavors to adjust difficulty between Czechs and Soviet authority.
[For an argument against military intervention in Russia, whether from the east or from the north, see letter from the Consul at Archangel to the Ambassador in Russia, June 1, 1918, post, page 477.]