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III.
AMERICAN RED CROSS WINS
RUSSIA'S TRUST.

SPECIAL CABLE TO THE DAILY NEWS.
[Copyright 1918, The Chicago Daily News Co.]

Moscow, Russia, April 13.—When the
soviet power seized the Petrorad govern-
ment in November, the ambassadors
from the entente countries were torn
between two desires. The stronger was to
remain in Russia, wholly ignoring the
soviet government and anxiously await-
ing its downfall; the weaker was to quit
Russia altogether. Not one realized the
necessity of utilizing or co-operating with
the soviet for the purposes of the world
war.

Among all the allied institutions in
Russia only one group understood
the situation—namely, the American Red
Cross mission. It realized that the so-
viet was not then a positive factor in
the struggle against Germany, but it also
realized that the soviet was so secure in
its position that not even the concentrat-
ed efforts of all the other political ele-
ments in Russia could seriously threat-
the soviet government's hold on Rus-
sia.

This small American unit was then un-
able to swing the allied policy of the old
diplomats sent to Russia. The latter
were equipped to negotiate with the czar
and could not accommodate themselves to
the changed conditions. They failed to
understand that the soviet power had
come to stay.

Predicted Early End of Soviet.

Two of the ambassadors told me, "The
soviet is unable to last longer than ten
days." Ten days passed, yet the soviet
was secure. After two months the diplo-
mats were still whispering, "The soviet
will last only a couple of weeks more."
The allied diplomatic and military group
even attempted to expedite the soviet's
downfall.

The military chief wrote notes to Douk-
honin, Alexieff and other leaders of the
opposition to the soviet. The allied mili-

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tartists supported Roumania and the
Uraine; both sold out to Germany. They
flirted with the Finnish white guards.
France even recognized the white guard
government—German soldiers are now
fighting side by side with these white
guards.

The little Red Cross group from the
United States saw the soviet as an un-
pleasant but a necessary evil, and began
to co-operate with it. The Red Cross
weathered attack after attack. Diplomats
and militarists alike condemned the
overtures to the soviet government.

Now, in the sixth month of the soviet
rule, there exists just one lane of ap-
proach to the soviet government, and that
is through the American Red Cross. The
allies appear at this time to be anxious
to talk to Lenine and Trotzky. Tentative
overtures are made daily. Britain has
withdrawn her embassy and substituted
as her official representative a young
liberal, Lockhart. Though not a diplo-
mat, he recognizes the permanency of the
soviet power and the necessity of co-
operation with it. Already he has recov-
ered some of the lost ground. He is not
entangled with the old regime and conse-
quently the soviet leaders trust him and
co-operate with him.

Soviet Trusts American Red Cross.

But it was the American Red Cross
that made possible any resumption of
negotiations with the soviet. To-day it
is the only allied institution in Russia
that the soviet really trusts. It is about
the only allied institution that since No-
vember has not been actively interested
in some scheme seeking to accomplish
the soviet's downfall.

Originally there existed differences be-
tween the bolsheviki and the soviet. To-
day these terms are practically synony-
mous. The boisheviki utilized the soviet
organization until they became one with
it. In order to grasp what the soviet
power in Russia really means one must
define "What is the soviet?"

The soviet organization extends deep
into Russian life. Literally the soviet
means the council of common usage: It
means a village council. This the mo-
ern Russian soviet's origin is the ancient
village mir.

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