OCR Text |
Show RUSSIANS NEGOTIATING PEACE I '! wJL iJfe?.ffi Italians and A astro- Germans Massing Forces For Big Fight J I Ominous Import I . PETROGRAD, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 10:30 p. m.It is H announced officially at the Smolny institute, the headquarters ' of the Bolsheviki, that representatives of Ensign Krylenko, the Bolsheviki commander-in-chief, have crossed to the German side and entered into negotiations with the German military authorities. Representatives sent sent by Ensign Krylenko, the Bol-sheviki Bol-sheviki commander-in-chief of the Russian armies, have been received in the German lines and informed by the German commander that the Germans have officially consented to"" immediate negotiations for an armistice on all the fronts of the belligerent countries. The Russian Fifth army announced today that it purposes choosing parliamentarians to be sent to Germany. This is the second instance of an announcement of definite support of the Bolsheviki program by the military, the first being the Second army whose action was previously reported. PETROGRAD, Nov. 28. -The Germans have set De- H cember 2 for a conference for negotiations of an armistice. -- i FEW CAST VOTES PETROGRAD, Monday, Nov. 26 It is estimated, that from 30 to 35 per cent of the voters entitled to vote for delegates to the constituent assembly cast their ballots yesterday. Among the voters many women were voted. The balloting was conducted in an orderly or-derly manner and apparently there were no attempts at coercion. The most active campaigners were the Bolshevikl Bol-shevikl who employed placarded armored ar-mored motors, but the campaign was chiefly one of posters and house to house distribution of lists of candi-, candi-, dates. Allies to Decide on Policy WASHINGTON, Nov. 2S. The American government and the Entente Allies will determine whether the "bolsheviki "bol-sheviki are to be classed as enemies and active allies of Germany as soon as official advices can be gathered of ; conferences between Bolshevikl lead- , ers and German officers. Yesterday's dispatches savins; German Ger-man staff ofilcers wore in Petrograd actively engaged as advisers to Lenine, foi'owed by today's news cables that , Bolshoviki leaders had crossed into the German lins for conferences with , tho German military authorities, were' not wholly unexpected bu they shattered shat-tered the faint hope that tho Bolshevikl Bolshe-vikl might in the end help cany on the war against Prussian militarism. Bclsheviki Fostered by Germans rj )( developments more than con-finned con-finned the contention of those who hive held from the first that'rho Lnl--lifviki was fostered by the German propaganda seeking to break Russia from ber Allies. One of the first acts of tho Allied foernments when they learn ollir.Inl-ly ollir.Inl-ly that the Bolshoviki are r.c'c'v worvng with the Germans undjubted-ly undjubted-ly will be to withdraw their embassies embas-sies in Petrograd. This, of course, will include American Ambassador Francis. Fran-cis. Whether the diplomatic corps would go to one of the adjacent neutral neu-tral countries to await developments, j or whothcr it would move to some other part of Russia .where a new gov- Russian nation rather than of an an-archial an-archial faction, might be set up has not yet been determined. This will bo decided by the developments in Russia. Rus-sia. Ambassador Francis has a large moasure of discretion to rely upon on with others of tho diplomatic corps in Petrograd and much of his course will have to bo determined without frequent fre-quent consultation with Washington. America to Control Supplies No official announcement is available as to whether the United States1 has stopped the shipment of supplies to Russia until the situation clears, but. it is perfectly apparent that none of the immense quantities of supplies contracted con-tracted for, on tho way, or actually landed in some parts of Russia will be permitted to fall into tho hands of tho Bolsheviki if they become the allies of Germany. The statement made yesterday to tho Russian general staff by Lieutenant Lieuten-ant Colonel Judson. head of tho American Amer-ican military mission, to the effect that the stopping of shipments to Russia will be tho logical outcome of the Bolsheviki Bol-sheviki efforts for an armistice and peace, is regarded by officials here as summing up tho situation accurately and goes as far as possible in an official of-ficial expression at (his time. The meeting in Petrograd today of Russian political leaders, which, ac- jH cording to the London Times, is for the , JH purpose of forming a government rep- jH resentative of all parties is being watched with interest. IH What really is back of the confer-ence, confer-ence, it was too early for officials to were among those who assembled along with the Bolslicvu.!' altlr ugh the calling of somo members of an ! overthrown regime, it is recognized, lfl may be a strategic move for effect on jH tho diplomatic corps at Petrograd who have uniformly refused to indicate any recognition of the nowly-sprung ele-ment ele-ment in power, while Russian diplo-mats diplo-mats and consuls in this country open-ly open-ly repudiate IL German Officers in Petrograd News of the conference followed the London report that German offic- ers are already in Petrograd acting as military advisers of the government in power. Official confirmation was lack-ing, lack-ing, but if official confirmation com?d it is understood that the action will be met immediately by this govern- ; ment and ts allies putting the Bolshe- j vikl government squarely in the j status of an ally of Germany. Tho result would be the immediate withdrawal of the diplomats to the Swedish or some other neutral capital , I to await instructions from their gov-I gov-I crnments and meantime, in this coun-I coun-I try. final orders would be issued heading off' all supplies to Russia. Germany After Russia's Vast Store3 tM The economic effect on Germany would be to make available to it the vast stores of the great Russian em piro and the restoration of German .M prisoners held In Russia and their ut- H ili'.ation for service again at the Gcr-man Gcr-man front. ' Negotiations in Full Swing 'H Contact has been established be-tv;een be-tv;een the Bolsheviki leaders in Rus-sla Rus-sla and the German military authori-tiGir authori-tiGir and negotiations for an armistice are in full swing behind the German Whatever the ultimate result of those negotiations, it seems clear that at present the Russian negotiators are representative of only a fraction of !H Russia. General Krylenko, nominal com-mander-in-chief by Bolsheviki decree, whose representatives crossed to the jH German side for the parley, has been unable to take over the actual com mand of more than the northern Kus. sian armies. Communication Cut Off Communication betwen north nnd south Russia has been cut off and General Dukhonin, the de facto com-mander com-mander of all but the northern forces whose headquarters are at Mohilcv, opposite the Galician front, has rcfus- H cd to treat with the Germans. H Russ Cross German bines PETROGRAD, Nov.. 2S. Ensign Krylenko sent three representatives with Instructions to request the Ger-man Ger-man commander of the sector in which the crossing was effected to inquire of the German commander-in- jH chief whether it was agreeable that representatives be sent for a confer- jH ence for an immediate armistice on fronts of all belligerent countries and H in case his response wns satisfactory to fix a time and place for a confer-ence confer-ence of representatives of both sides. Tho Krylenko commissaries crossed ,H the German lines at 4 o'clock yester- ! day afternoon and were received by iH tho Gorman commander of the sector. iH ! H |