861.00/5414a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Davis)
6116. Referring to Department’s 6081, October 15, 4 p.m.60 Russian Embassy here informs Department that General Knox61 recently communicated to Kolchak a message from the British Government in which it was pointed out that the Bolsheviki had offered the Baltic nationalities recognition of their independence as the price of peace with them and that as they were about to accede it would be well for Kolchak to recognize their independence with a view to deterring them from the Bolshevik bargain. Kolchak declined the proposal pointing out that he could not outbid the Bolsheviki who had nothing to lose.
The Russian Ambassador suggested as a wiser measure a communication to the Baltic Governments pointing out that Allied support was predicated on resistance to the Bolsheviki and would be withdrawn if they made peace. The Department suggested to him that the Baltic Governments had not had our support, the policy of the United States having been rather to sustain the principle of Russian unity at least until union or separation could be legally decided [Page 728] upon. The practical course would therefore be to make representations in London as Great Britain had been foremost in supporting the Baltic separatist movements and was, therefore, in the best position by threatening to terminate that support to influence their course of action with respect to the Bolsheviki. Repeat to Am[erican] mission Paris for Polk’s information.