Office of the Historian

861.00/5642: Telegram

The Commission to Negotiate Peace to the Secretary of State

Paris, undated.
[Received November 13, 1919, 9:03 p.m.]

5158. From [Gade from] United States Ship Chattanooga [202512].

3. [November 12, 7 p.m.] Delegates of Esthonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are meeting at Dorpat to formulate conditions of armistice with Soviet Government. Delegates of Poland, Ukraine, Finland and White Russia of Minsk region are present as observers and having separate pourparlers with delegates of Baltic Provinces. As preliminary condition to negotiations with Bolsheviki, hostages will be exchanged.

2. Bolsheviki delegates will be carefully guarded and hindered from all spreading of propaganda.

3. Baltic Provinces have made following preliminary rough draft of terms for discussion if Soviet Government willing to accede to preliminary conditions:

A.
The recognition of independence of three Baltic Provinces.
B.
Establishment neutral zone from Finnish Bay to Poland between the provinces and Soviet territory.
C.
No Bolsheviki propaganda to be carried out in provinces.
D.
No consular or diplomatic officers at present.
E.
No amnesty for former Baltic citizens fighting for Bolsheviki.
F.
Provisional [Trade?] agreement to be determined by commission to be appointed with Allied Powers’ participation.
G.
Transit trade from Russia through provinces to or from Allies to be facilitated in every way.
H.
Principles of general demobilization to be discussed at once.

4. Arrangements have been made with [by] Baltic Provinces to confer with Soviet Government at Tartu, Jourieff,78 November 17 to discuss exchange of prisoners of war and return of hostages.

5. I am requested to transmit following official communication to American Government and Peace Commission which I am obliged to paraphrase … [Page 741]

“The Foreign Minister of Esthonia has been instructed by the assembled delegates of Esthonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to inform you, [that] in case an armistice is found possible, they win find it necessary to establish a neutral zone between their republics and Soviet Russia [and] under the administration of a third state. The Peace Conference is hereby requested to nominate such a third state which will charge itself with the organization and control of the zone in question, thus making possible further negotiations.”

  • Gade
  • American Mission
  1. Tartu is the Esthonian name of Dorpat; the Russian name is Jourieff (Yurev).↩