File No. 861.00/3406
The Ambassador in France (Sharp) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 12, 8.59 a.m.]
6238. Following telegram from Allied Ministers dated Jassy, November 14:
Mr. Poklevski, Russian Minister, was accredited to us in the quality of representative of the army of volunteers formed by Alexeev and at present under the orders of General Denikin. We confirm that according to concordant reports from all the Allied agents this army constitutes the only national following [force?] which could serve as a basis for the reconstitution of Russia with such assistance of the Allies. Mr. Poklevski handed us a memorandum drawn up by Mr. Neratov, [former assistant?] at the Russian Foreign Office, who is temporarily replacing Mr. Sazonov assigned as a member of the political council formed and assigned to the army of Denikin and which appears destined to be the nucleus of the future provisional government. We transmit in plain language this document under the number [omission].1 The final phrase of Article 3 concerning the evacuation of Poland should, according to Mr. Poklevski, be interpreted as meaning that this demand for evacuation emanates [Page 645] from the Polish group of the Denikin army and does not imply any Russian claim to the former Polish provinces. As for Article 4 on the occupation of Russian strategical points “by Russian forces or provisionally by those of the Allies,” this [article?] calculated to avoid giving offense to the nation.
Pride does not lessen the impatience with which all the elements of order are awaiting Allied intervention. By reason of the importance of the assistance which the Denikin army can offer to the action of the Allies we have asked the Rumanian Government to facilitate the furnishing of munitions to it from the Russian depots still existing in Rumania until such time as the commander of the armies of the Orient can assure same. We again insist on the urgency of sending to Russia the first contingent of Allied troops available so as to reduce to a minimum the interval between German evacuation and inter-Allied occupation. In Ukraine the population terrorized by the Bolsheviks asks that the Germans may receive from the Entente the instruction to maintain order while awaiting the arrival of the Allies.