Paris Peace Conf.184.01502/42
The Chief of the Mission to the Baltic Provinces ( Greene ) to Major Royall Tyler
Dear Major Tyler: The courier has just arrived bringing your letter of May 27th,37 which found me in conference with Lieut. Col. Tallents, Chief of the British Economic Mission to Esthonia, Latvia and Lithuania, who has just arrived. We have spent the morning in going over the entire situation and are considering wiring General Gough, now on the Petrograd front, to know if we can come up by destroyer for consultation with him with a view to preparing a joint Allied and American recommendation on the situation which I will take to Paris on a flying trip.
This follows an inter-Allied meeting held at my mission day before yesterday at which there were present Commodore Duff of the British Navy, Senior British Naval Officer, Captain Brisson of the French Navy, Senior French Naval Officer, Colonel Groome of the A. R. A., Major Keenan of the British Mission, Mr. Grant Watson of the British Foreign Office, and myself. This was followed yesterday by a [Page 199] further discussion on board Commodore Duff’s flagship. We are all of us intensively apprehensive over the results of the present policy of drift which is inevitably leading these countries under complete German control. Yet without the presence of the German forces there would be complete anarchy and Bolshevism. We are working on the plan of framing a joint definite recommendation representing the views of the British, American and French representatives, and sending one, two, or possibly three, representatives to Paris to urge its adoption.
I do not believe that Paris realizes the gravity of this situation. We have left these border countries either to Bolshevism or Germanism, whichever proves strongest. At present Germany is consolidating her position here and looks to Russia to recoup from this war.
At the same time the handling of the local situation, as long as it is necessary to retain the German forces in these countries, must not be under the control of “Hun-baiters” whose policy gets us continually into unnecessary difficulties with the Germans from which it is difficult to extricate ourselves without loss of prestige.
It is absolutely necessary that my Mission have motor transport. Colonel Groome has arrived with five automobiles, and more coming, Colonel Tallents has four. My Mission, which has done all the pioneer work under the most difficult circumstances, has none. We have been greatly handicapped in the past for lack of automobiles, and I cannot continue the work unless we are to be supplied. Colonel Groome has a Cadillac limousine, and four Dodges, so that all the subordinate members of his mission have transportation. I have to walk, yet my mission, covering military and political matters, has a greater need of transportation than any other mission here. I consider our minimum requirements two automobiles, and one light two-and-a-half-ton truck, either Fiat or White, the latter to carry spare gasoline, stores, baggage, etc. It is requested that motor transport be sent immediately, together with an adequate supply of tires and gasoline.
The original appropriation, for this mission is nearly exhausted, consequently I am sending Mr. Rosenthal to Paris with our financial statements and a request for additional funds if the work of the Mission is to continue.
Colonel Dawley is now on the Petrograd front. He is the best informed man in Europe on this Bolshevist front, as he is the only man in any army who has visited the Lithuanian, Latvian, Esthonian and Finnish fronts; moreover, he has stayed on each front long enough to make a careful study of military operations and local conditions. Furthermore, he has visited Warsaw, so he has come into touch with the Polish military situation. I am confident there is no man in a [Page 200] better position to advise the Allied and American governments at Paris on the military situation from Finland to Poland.
I visited Riga shortly after it was taken, and remained there six days. I found conditions very bad, and am glad to report that the A. R. A. has taken prompt action as American flour was already at Mitau in anticipation of the taking of Riga and an American Food ship has arrived at Riga in spite of the difficulties and dangers of getting through the mine fields.
Sincerely yours,
- Not found in Department files.↩