File No. 861.00/2716

The Consul General at Irkutsk (Harris) to the Secretary of State1

[Telegram]

55. General Grishin-Almazov, Minister of War of temporary Siberian government, Omsk, was requested by the other ministers to resign; he has been succeeded by General Ivanov, Cossacks’ chief. Almazov has been guilty of many indiscretions, chief of which was a statement that Siberia was the key to the whole situation and that the Allies needed Siberia more than Siberia the Allies. He also stated that the Czechs were no longer needed and that they might now pass on. Consular Corps, Irkutsk, protested to Minister for Foreign Affairs, Omsk, against such statements.

There is widespread feeling in Siberia that the Allies favor Kerensky and that they will attempt to force him on Russian people again. If this is attempted it will be resented by all the people, as they attribute to him more than to any other cause the Bolshevik catastrophe.

Military prisoners at large still causing trouble in Irkutsk, Tomsk, and the other Siberian towns. German officers are frequently entertained by wealthy citizens. Germans in the guise of Swedish agents make mysterious trips to Semipalatinsk and elsewhere. Consular Corps, Irkutsk, have protested against and demanded that such prisoners be returned to prison camps and strictly guarded.

General situation improving now that it is definitely known that the Allies are entering Siberia. Much less politics all over country now and agitation against Czechs by laborers and the other dissatisfied elements quieting down.

[
Harris
]
  1. Sent via the Legation in China.