861.00/6005: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Wallace) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 27, 3:35 p.m.]
1928. R–174 from Rathbone for Davis.
Further reference paragraph 6, Treasury Department’s R–70 and State Department’s 3857, November 22nd. Acting under authority contained in paragraph 6 to [of] Treasury Department’s cable above referred to I made a concrete and definite proposal to British representative McFadyean under date of November 8th, complete text of which proposal was cabled Secretary of State by American Embassy, Paris, in its 1719 of December 9th. My proposal was drafted in accordance with your instructions with a view to covering once for all the financial program and financial responsibility for the repatriation of all friendly contingents now in Siberia by water from Asiatic ports to European ports.
I am just in receipt of the following letter dated December 22nd from British representative McFadyean as follows:
“I have now heard from the Treasury that they accept the offer contained in your letter of the 8th ultimo respecting the repatriation of troops from Siberia, the French being told at the same time that our acceptance is without prejudice to our contention that they should share the cost of our responsibility under it. I most certainly regret the unconscionable time it has taken to transmit an answer to your Government. We fully appreciate the spirit in which it was put forward.”
We replied to British representative McFadyean on December 23rd as follows:
“I have your letter of December 22nd advising me that you have now heard from the British Treasury and that they accept offer contained in my letter to you of November 8th, 1919, respecting the repatriation of friendly troops from Siberia and that your Treasury has informed the French at the same time that your acceptance is without prejudice to our mutual contention that they should share with British the cost of our mutual responsibility under it. We are [Page 321] directing a similar letter to the French supporting the British views, a copy of which is enclosed herewith. We have transmitted to our State and Treasury Departments by cable a complete copy of your letter of December 22nd, requesting that the necessary credits be immediately extended to Czecho-Slovakia for the repatriation on our account of the Czecho-Slovak contingents equaling 50 per cent of the total strength of the Czecho-Slovak, Polish, Yugo-Slav and Roumanian contingents available for repatriation in Siberia. In accordance with our last information from Washington, General Hines, Director of Transportation of United States War Department, will be in charge of the repatriation of our contingent and we have requested that he be instructed to dispatch forthwith the necessary shipping to handle the repatriation of our contingent.”
I have furnished the French with copies of our reply of November 8th, McFadyean’s letter, December 22d, and our letter to McFadyean, December 23d, above referred to, in which we support the British contention that the French should participate this movement and have requested advice as to extent of French participation. I will of course insist upon prorating as between ourselves and British any benefits evolving from French participation.
It will be noted in my letter to McFadyean of December 22nd [23d?] that I have specially reserved that if the total number of troops repatriated be less than 72,000 that our maximum advances extended to Czecho-Slovakia will only be based upon 50 per cent of the total repatriation valuations. I made this reservation as it occurred to me that due to rapid advances of Bolsheviks in Siberia that they may have perhaps captured large contingents of the friendly troops with the result that the total number now available for repatriation would be much less than 72,000.
As the financial negotiations have now been successfully completed I venture to hope that the Treasury Department will immediately arrange for the extension of the necessary credits on account of Czecho-Slovakia and that the State Department and General Hines of the War Department will be informed that there are no questions of a financial character which further prevent the United States Government despatching at once the necessary shipping to Vladivostok for the purpose of effecting without delay our share of this repatriation. From copies of reports furnished through French sources it is apparent that the situation Siberia is such as to necessitate the promptest work on the part of General Hines. In order that I may inform the representatives of the Associated Powers it is important that I be advised at the earliest possible moment the date on which our first ships will arrive at Vladivostok and the approximate number of Czecho-Slovakian troops we will be able to repatriate per month thereafter. Rathbone.