861.00/3551: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Commission to Negotiate Peace
72. Department transmits for comment a telegram number 260 dated December 27th transmitted from the American Consul at Omsk through the American Legation at Peking in a telegram of the same date reading as follows:
“Referring to Department’s December 12, 6 P.M.40 Respectfully suggest to Department to carefully weigh and consider with Allies advisability of adopting similar plan towards present Omsk Provisional Government as apparently is now being persuaded [pursued] in Ukraine, merely as a general policy of lending friendly support and assistance to an authority which is attempting to restore law and order. Such action should not assume character of rebuilding [recognition?] or even presume such to be an eventual consideration. Such declaration on the part of Allies would tend to clear situation in Western Siberia. It would have good effect upon workmen, Siberian soldiers, Czech, Semenoff and Japanese generally. Such measure by Allies might be accompanied by statement that such declaration was inspired by desire to simply assist Omsk Provisional Government temporarily until such time as all Russia may become united under another central government in which the whole country is represented. Harris. Reinsch.”
- Not printed.↩