| Show I V Situation in Ch Ching n Recalls J Yanks in Siberia mn hi 1919 1 V WASHINGTON History is repeating Itself with t a veng ance At times you have the Im- Im im impression of 1 watching va t hing an tin old newsreel that shows the same patt pattern rn of mistakes and ana diMs Few Americans Americana today r remember mcm- mcm her ber that after World War Var I we had an expeditionary force torce of American soldiers in Siberia One of at Americas America's strangest military military mili mill tary ventures it might well wen have drawn us ua Into a futile war against the bolsheviks that would have proved costly in lives and dollars While the tho parallel with the the situation in China today I h is not by any means mean exact it la is close enough to be an object lesson for or those who would learn from history In In 1919 1910 as in 1945 lf we we were divided over aver the policy polley to tobe tobe o obe be followed In that earlier time it was waa the state department that wanted to Intervene actively In Russia's civil war If It It had hadnot not been for the steadfast Integrity of or an American commander in Siberia one of at the numerous plots h hatched to involve Uncle Sam more deeply in R Russia's Internal quarrel might have sue suc ce eded That commander was Major General William S. S Graves Years later when more of the background information was available General Graves Graves' wrote a book called caned Americas SiberIan Siberian Siberian Siber Siber- ian Adventure in which he told the whole story atory Written with the almost transparent transparent transparent trans trans- parent hone honesty ty of a soldier determined determined determined de de- de- de not to exceed orders clearly stating that he was not notto notto notto to Intervene In Russia's Internal quarrel It II is a fascinating narrative nar nar- narrative of intrigue The Japanese the British and the French all aU wanted to get the United States committed to toa toa a wholesale war that have as its objective putting down bolshevism By every possible pos poe sible means their representatives tives tried to get Graves and his command into the scrap Without any prior background in diplomacy the American out out- smarted them This was wag W because e General Graves Grave I n 8 of or the he propaganda howa a it the bolsheviks wa was not de to the facts of 03 ns what Wa was WilS ha hT penIng In Siberia 5 1 The Japanese of at courie v h the biggest stake They Sd b barmy army array of more mora than thanIn nIn fn n- n In Siberia in spite of nn ment with the U. U S. S J o the limit would bo bl 1200 T Japs hoped to stir Ur up M o J trouble that eventually tl would end up in full posit of ot a n slice of of eastern castern Siberia i b. b eluding perhaps the tho ital vitel J of ot Vladivostok p Woodrow Wilson had J Graves and his troops to h. h r jt berla for the tie stated purpose t 1 helping a wandering army c r Czechoslovaks get to VIa and from there the Pacific and home 7 The Thc handed Graves Secretary of War Newton n r Baker specifically said Bald he lie i inot not to intervene in any lIy II R Russia's internal quarrel Grut stuck to his instructions used his troops troop only to gu the trans Siberian r rover over which the Czechs w have to travel Even so Amen can lives were lost most moat i GI them according to Graves s 's the tho hands of th the Cossack ku bat backed by Japan j Back home of at course 1 th were newspapers newspaper and oJ who were d Graves craves ra es for his failure to Jo jail j in the crusade against bol boI J That It would have haye b Hi Hia a a. futile crusade because o ot t thi historical background that i li lj up to Russia's Rusias civil war Grav Guyt knew very well He refused b budge and arid he had the l all along of his hb chief of sj t. fJ Gen P Peyton C. C March who w equally steadfast in spite o of ot i IJ intrigue between military lab In Jn the war and the state department 1 Its It's too bad that Graves' Graves 1 b bis bo is Js out of print A great m rau Americans today could read th tha record of an honest soldier wi profit J I |
