[Enclosure—Translation91]
The People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of
the Russian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic (Chicherin) to the Governments of the United
States, France, Great Britain, Italy, and
Japan
[Moscow,] November 2 [, 1921].
The declaration of July 1991a by which the Russian Government protested
against the convocation of an international conference on Pacific
questions without its participation was ignored by the powers. In
view of the approaching opening of this conference, the Russian
Government repeats its protest against this attempt at solving, in
the absence of representatives of Russia, the problems in which it
is directly interested, and also its declaration of conserving full
liberty of action in all questions treated at this conference, and
of using this liberty on all occasions and by all the means that it
considers proper.
The toiling masses of Russia have received with the greatest
indignation this new manifestation of the policy of violence and
injustice followed in regard to them. The Workers’ and Peasants’
Government of Russia declares that a nation of over a hundred and
thirty millions will not permit its will to be violated and will not
allow itself to be treated like an inert being by the decisions of
others. The working masses of Russia who devote their greatest
efforts to her economic reconstruction know that, in spite of the
famine resulting from the Allied blockade and from the drought, the
moment of the revival of their economic force is rapidly
approaching. Those who now violate the most elementary requirements
of their dignity and of their sovereign rights will then find
themselves face to face with the results of their conduct towards
Russia.
It is only with great indignation that the people of Russia can
receive the declaration by which the powers take upon themselves the
care of Russia’s interests. Russia has during these last years
sufficiently experienced the solicitude of the Great Powers. Those
that now intend to take upon themselves the guarding of her
interests
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are the same
governments which have inundated her territories with blood by
sending against her the Tsarist generals and who have strangled her
with the murderous loop of the blockade. The working people of
Russia understand quite well that if these powers will take upon
themselves the decision of questions which concern Russia, these
will be reached under the influence of interests quite different
from those of Russia, and the solution which will be found will be
detrimental to the Russian Nation. The latter knows in advance that
any agreement between the powers who would take upon themselves to
decide for Russia will be certainly an act of the same order as the
treaties of Versailles and of Sevres.
But Russia is not a conquered country. It came out victorious from
all the trials that it was subjected to by the powers who now
arrogate to themselves the task of taking care of its interests. The
laboring masses of Russia have sufficiently demonstrated that they
know how to resist attempts of violence from the exterior, and they
will in the same manner repulse any new similar attempts.
Whatever will be the ostensible agreement come to at Washington, the
suspicion, nearly the certainty, will always exist that secret
agreements have been concluded to the detriment of Russia, and one
more element of defiance and suspicion will be introduced into
international relations. In these conditions the decisions of the
Washington Conference will inevitably be the source of new
conflicts, new troubles, and new shocks. Far from bringing
pacification they will bring trouble, struggle, and hatred into the
international life of nations and will only be the cause of new
calamities for humanity.
[Papers relating to the period of the Conference (November 12,
1921–February 6, 1922) will appear in a later volume of Foreign
Relations.]
