Show Peace Overtures Toward Germany Germany Ger Ger- I RUSSI RUSSIA A many and Debt Repudiation I Cause Anxiety for Allies EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE Following is the second dispatch of a series on the Russian Russian- revolution and the soviet union nion in world world United affairs United Press Fress Associations By Dy JOSEPHU JOSEPHn BAIRD United Press Press' Staff Correspondent Copyright 1933 by United Press WASHINGTON Nov 11 Hard 11 Hard Hardly ly ly- had the red fl flag g of the soviet uni union n been hoisted over the Kremlin before the outside world world particular particular particularly ly the allies fighting Germany Germany Germany-be- be became came ame seriously alarmed over two acts of at Russia's new rulers new rulers The first was their almost Immediate Immediate Imme Imme- diate peace overtures with Germany The allied high command envisaged ged millions of German soldiers released from duty on on the Russian front al already already al al- ready threatening to inundate Paris Strenuous efforts were made to prevent prevent prevent pre pre pre- vent Russia from rom concluding ng a separate separate separate sep sep- arate peace but peace but in vain Repudiated Czarist Dents Debts The rho second cause of alarm and hatred d against the Russians Russians' was their decree repudiating the debts of at the czarist and Kerensky governments and confiscating the property property-of of at foreigners foreigners for for- eigners within the Russian RuSian state Not only were these theS acts contrived to deprive de the allied states and their nationals na of hundreds of millions of dollars but but in hi the view of contemporary contemporary contemporary statesmen they the they set a dangerous danger ous OILS precedent which might be followed fol followed lowed elsewhere Russia's first move for peace along broad lines waS was designed as as a general len gen eral peace to be participated in by all the allies To this end Foreign Commissar Corn ComO Trotsky wrote notes to United L States Ambassador David R. R Francis and the other envoys al allied lied countries in Petrograd suggesting suggesting suggesting suggest suggest- ing a general 7 peace without annexations annexations annexations or or- indemnities The British ambassador summoned the other envoys to his embassy and th the Russian proposal was discussed They agreed unanimously to take talce no nc official notice of Trotsky's note but bul sent it on to their their foreign foreign offices Lox for their Information Apparently convinced that there was little hope a n general peace Premier Lenin took more direct ac ac- tion He L issued lIed a manifesto to the thc soldiers urging them to appoint a L comm commissioner to make peace with the thc 1 Germans On November 28 23 Pravda da the official cial newspaper announced that the German commander had agreed to tc I peace negotiations Gen General ral to of the Russian army postponed an ar I armistice for to propose o once c more q o. pilled allied 1 I to define their attitude This move was backed up by a formal formal formal for for- mal note to the ambassadors of the theames allies ames in Petro Petrograd grad The state department department department de de- de- de instructed meted Francis not evento even evento evento to reply to the note Meanwhile despite efforts of the allied nations to prevent it the Russians Rus Bus s sinus ms pro proceeded with peace negotiations negotiations with Germany and the other central powers The negotiations lasted from November November No No- vember until March and were interrupted interrupted inter inter- several times But finally on March 3 1918 at Brest R Russia Bus Rus s. s sia sla and the central powers power signed a peace treaty which ended the World war so far as the soviet union was concerned IThe I The new rulers of Russia embarked embarked em em- barked on another course which led to hatred and the recrimination the re repudiation repudiation re- re of debts and the confiscation confiscation tion of private property Even yet the effect ot of pf this policy on America and American citizens remains a complicating factor in restoring Russian American relations President President dent Roosevelt and Foreign Minister Maxim Litvinoff will attempt to reach an agreement on these matters during their conversations here The It should hould be re re- re the czarist and nd Kerensky regimes not as representatives tives of ot the Russian Russin people but of a small favored class Hence they saw no reason for assuming the state tate debts of their hated predecessors During the rule of at the social democrats democrats demo demo- under K Kerensky when Russia still was was in the great war States treasury agreed to loan the Russians At the time of the bolshevik revolution about of ot this had been ad ad- Previously the czarist government gov government government gov gov- had borrowed from American bankers Both these loans were wiped out by a soviet decree decree de tie- cree in fri January 1918 All AU state loans concluded by governments governments gov of or the Russian land owners and Russian bourgeoisie are annulled an annulled an m. as s from December 1 The The December coupons arc are not subject to payment Another decree confiscated the Ithe property of foreign 1 nations nation in Russia RUSia Americans lost some There was consternation abroad Th The Thu envoys of foreign or Ign powers in Petrograd met and protested But the decree stood The Toe Russians Rus Bus would not weaken in their determination determination determination de de- de- de termination to wipe all out all vestiges of capitalism MONDAY The MONDAY The Terror Te In Russia foreign Intervention and the final eab establishment es ea- b meD g of soviet power |