861.00/5367: Telegram
The Commission to Negotiate Peace to the Secretary of State
[Received October 10, 10:52 p.m.]
4609. Following is a summary of a telegram from General Denikin dated Taganrog September 26th, 1919, which was handed to the Commission by the Russian Mission at Paris. This is sent to Department for such action as in your opinion may be appropriate.
“According to news from Moscow, the Bolsheviks have arrested, in consequence of the advance of our troops towards the north, about 30,000 persons, chiefly of the intellectual class, and amongst them the Patriarch Tikhon, Mr. Samarin, many scientists, in their number Professor Chaplygin, prominent men like Astroff, Kishkin, Kotlarevsky, many artists. Also [A great] number of these persons have already been executed. The same fate awaits the remaining hostages, judging by what happened in Kiev and other towns during the last days of Bolshevik reign there.
[Page 773]The only means to prevent a wholesale massacre of the intellectual class would be an energetic exterior intervention. This has been done by the Allied Governments at the beginning of the Bolshevik regime; in order to free their subjects they threatened the Bolsheviks that they would imply [charge?] the Soviet leaders personally with responsibility for murders.
It is greatly to be hoped that similar measures will be taken in the present case.”