File No. 861.00/3301
The Consul General at Irkutsk ( Harris ) to the Secretary of State 1
[Received November 29, 4.15 p.m.]
207. All-Russian provincial [provisional] government has issued following statement:
Considering ourselves proper and lawful successors to all lawful Russian governments which existed up to the end of October 1917, the government with Admiral Kolchak at its head takes the stand of absolutely executing, following the reestablishment of united Russia, all financial obligations which the government has taken upon itself, for instance, the payment of interest, the settlement of interior and foreign loans, payments per contracts, the supporting of employees, pensions and all sorts of other payments payable legally from the Treasury. The government has declared that all financial acts which were established by the Soviet government are unlawful and are not to be executed, being acts established by rebels. Admiral Kolchak and the members of the Government.
Minister of Finance Mikhailov confirmed this statement to me yesterday. He further stated that it took 500,000,000 rubles monthly to meet the expenditures of the new government: 350,000,000 were necessary for army, and 100,000,000 for Siberian Railroad, leaving only 50,000,000 for miscellaneous expenses.
- Sent via the Legation in China.↩