861.01/812
The Chief of the Division of Russian Affairs, Department of State (Poole) to the Under Secretary of State (Phillips)
Mr. Phillips: Mr. Skvirsky, the sole remaining member of what was formerly known as the Commercial Delegation of the Far Eastern Republic, called this afternoon and advised me of the final consummation of the amalgamation of the Far Eastern Republic with Soviet Russia. He said that he had received word from Chita of the organization there of a Dalrevkom (an abbreviation for Eastern Revolutionary Committee), similar to the Sibrevkom (Siberian Revolutionary Committee) which has been functioning for some time at Novonikolaievsk. The Chita committee embraces seven members, Mr. Skvirsky said. He did not know who they all were but the President was Sokolov, who was recently sent to Chita from Moscow and served as President of the Far Eastern Republic during its lastdays. Jansen, the late Foreign Minister of the Far Eastern Republic, is also a member. I asked Mr. Skvirsky how the committee had been formed but he was unable to tell me. He thought that the dissolving national assembly of the Far Eastern Republic possibly named it or that it was merely a provisional committee which would function until the Soviet machinery was in complete operation. The truth undoubtedly is that it was appointed from Moscow.
Mr. Skvirsky said that he had been informed from Chita that no changes were contemplated in respect to economic matters. He said that he had been negotiating with a number of business groups in this country and was now able to assure them that the absorption of the Far Eastern Republic by Moscow would not affect in any material way the business contemplated. One group, he said, which was negotiating for a gold mining and timber concession in the Amur valley had, in fact, despatched a representative to Chita only two days ago. He said that the proposed contract would have to be perfected at Chita and, of course, the ratification of Moscow obtained.
In reply to a question on my part, Mr. Skvirsky said that the concession held by the Sinclair Oil Company83 was not affected by the [Page 869] change in Government. This change was purely legal, he said, and the assets and liabilities of the Far Eastern Republic were taken over and maintained as they stood.
Upon Mr. Skvirsky’s referring to the situation in Manchuria, the threatening character of which he said was one of the principal reasons for the amalgamation of the Far Eastern Republic with Soviet Russia, I asked him what was going to happen with regard to the Chinese Eastern Railway. He said that this was a matter for negotiation with China and that Joffe was still in Peking for the purpose of such negotiations. The unsettled governmental situation in China had, he presumed, prevented progress up to the present. He said that Russia’s interests in the Chinese Eastern Railway were vital and China would have to consent to joint Chinese and Russian control, the existing situation could not be permitted to continue and the railway zone could not be a resort for anti-Bolshevik adventurers. He indicated that Soviet Russia intended to take a strong stand with China.
Finally Mr. Skvirsky referred to his own status here. I said that this was legally only the status of a private citizen and it was not my view that recent events had altered it in any way. I said that I did not anticipate any objection to his continuing here on the basis of the past and that I would be glad to see him informally whenever he might care to call at the Department. I said that we should be glad to continue the American Consular offices at Vladivostok and Chita for the present; that it might not be found necessary to continue the office at Chita indefinitely but that there was no immediate change in contemplation. The office at Vladivostok was more important for us, I said, and would probably be continued indefinitely provided no difficulties arose.
- For exploitation of oil fields in the northern part of Sakhalin Island.↩