861.00/3842
The Secretary of War (Baker) to the Acting Secretary of State
My Dear Mr. Secretary: In reply to your letter of February 1st NE–M. 861.00/3762,85 in which you request the War Department to secure from General Graves a report as to the morale of the Czecho-Slovaks in Siberia, I have the honor to inform you that the following message has been received from General Graves:
“Number 167. February 7th. Reference your number 140. From reports received from officers and others who have come in contact with the Czechs I am convinced their morale has been growing [Page 278] worse since signing of the armistice. Many are not in sympathy with the kind of government they believe Kolchalk is trying to establish in Siberia and a feeling has developed in the ranks that by fighting against the Bolsheviks they are helping to maintain a government with ideas directly opposed to Czechs idea of a democratic form of government. The morale in the first division is very bad. There exists in this division committees in companies, battalions, regiments and divisions. The commanders of these units are often handicapped in that their action depends to a great extent on the sanction of these committees. There is also a belief among the Czech soldiers that it is not just to keep them on the fighting line where they continually suffer losses unless other allies send their troops to fight the Bolsheviks with them. I consider the morale bad and the Czechs do not constitute a dependable force for use against the Bolsheviks. Stefanik apparently failed in effort to improve morale of Czechs and has left Siberia probably for Prague. Czech representative here officially informed me Czechs are now withdrawing from the front and taking the following positions with a view to reorganizing and awaiting developments and being in a position to return home by the most direct route either through Russia or through Vladivostok: Corps Headquarters, Irkutsk; First Division, vicinity Irkutsk; Second Division, Tomsk and vicinity; Third Division, Krasnoyarsk and vicinity. Graves.”
Very sincerely yours,
- Not printed.↩