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Show jSSTOitV WOE HN RUSSIANS Gibbs Shows How Soviet Settlement Can Benefit Struggling- World Bj MK PHILIP GIBBS ne of the most Interesting chapters Of history will bcKln when reprrsenta-tlves reprrsenta-tlves of soviet Russia an- given a bsai -injj for the first time in a discussion of world affairs at the Genoa conference, con-ference, unless such an invitation Is vetoed by France and other countries. 'I have already told readers why I think the problem ol Russia must be dealt with by other world powers especially es-pecially by the United States and Great Britain as one of the keys t" the solution of international peace and European recovery Briefly stated again It Is that in return for economic econom-ic recognition and hasi-u upon the development de-velopment of the linriK-n.se natural resources re-sources of the Russian empire now lylnK untouched because of the utter breakdown of hor industrial life the great powers can demand, and enforce the demobilization of the Red army the abandonment of revolutionary propaganda and the establishment of la less tyrannical system of govern -i ment. By such a compact, under drastic dras-tic conditions Europe will he relieved lof a military menace which totally obstructs ob-structs the progress of peace conditions condi-tions with the- demobilisation of th Red ami there will be no pretext for Poland to maintain her large standing stand-ing army or for the l tts and Ivlthu-lanlans. Ivlthu-lanlans. That will ease the financial innd military burdens of France to whom Poland looks for support. That will make France l s aggr. sslve in re-card re-card to Gerrgan reparations and will make her friendly relations w'ith Great Britain more unsured. At the same time the resurrection of Russia from her living (b ath will j;ive back to the orld a great market for manufactured manufactur-ed goods. Before the war Russia hought "0 per cent of all the manufactured manu-factured articles used bj her people. For some years to come .she will need to buy 95 per cent In return for her grain, timber, furs oils minerals, flax and othr produce. H I D HELP WORJ D A rbdng tide of trade In Russia : would undoubtedly do a great deal to restore the buying and selllm; eherg! of the whole world not rapidly, but In a gradual and healthy way We can- ( Continued "ti Page Two.) HISTORY MADE WHEN RUSSIANS GO TO GENOA Ontlnued Imra Dagc One.) not ignore the possibility. Russia herself her-self must submit to any conditions to obtain it or dlo out of civilisation Upon her representatives at the Gen-on Gen-on conference ( If they actually tf t there) and upon their good sense and igood faith will depend the outcome jof this chance to secure a renascence of Russian life. T HlCd ltl BIG M Mi Their chief representative undoubtedly undoubt-edly will be Tchlchcrln the secretary for foreign affairs. He Is their most highly educated diplomat, their most respectable minister; In Moscow a few weeks ago I had a long talk with him and was able to make a study of his personality. The history of the man might make the theme of a Kusslan novel. A young man belonging to the aristocracy of Russia, he became many years ago, nn Intellectual Communist, long before Lenin whh known I sinister sinis-ter reputation. He proved a certain sincerity of Idealism by coming to England after a complete abandonment abandon-ment of fortune and family privilege, and working in one of the trade unions,. un-ions,. W hen his father died he Inherited Inher-ited a great estate, but refused to ac cept the inheritance He wus one or the Intellectuals behind th revolutionary revolu-tionary movement of ifo$ when the old czarist regime was seriously threatened, and when the great revolution revolu-tion happened after the war he allied himself with the extreme Communist groups who overthrew the moderate men under the leadership of ICerensky W hen I met him In Moscow he seemed to me a most moody, gloomy and disillusioned dis-illusioned man. as he sat in a barely furnished room In the dirty old building build-ing used as the foreign office which is Inhabited by a swarm of soviet officials, of-ficials, and guarded on every landing by young soldiers of the Red arm) Here In a couple, of rooms Tchlcherln lives an austere life, waiting upon himself, with at old woman to cook and clean, and Carrying his own messages mes-sages from room to room rather than depend upon other men's service People Peo-ple say that Is merely an affected pose, but I fancj the man Is sincere In his desire for simplicity and self-dependence. But watching him closelv, and listening to his manner of Speech as I sat fating him, I believed, and still bellee, thai Tchlcherin Is haunted b a sense of ghaatiy failure and by ' a conviction of sin." as the old ecclesiastics ecclesias-tics used to sav, which sits heavily upon up-on his conscience. He Is a gentleman and an Intelligent j aristocrat, but for the sake of a fanatical fan-atical Ideal he allied himself with ruthless anu Vile men and supported bloodthirsty acts, from which hia own instincts re oiled. In older that his ideal might be imposed upon the people, peo-ple, for what he believed to be their good. Now. when I sat facing him he knew that his consent to bloodshed, to the suppression of liberty, to cruelty, had been In vain for the theory of Communism had fulled utterly In Kus-slan, Kus-slan, and bv Its organizers, such as Lenin Le-nin had been entirely abandoned under un-der the thoughts of Tchichenn, Russian Rus-sian minister of state, as he sat sllenl for awhile staring at his blotting pad. He had 1 , n sincere w hen others had be. n insincere. honest when others had been dishonest; but their failure was his too and his honor was be-smlrt be-smlrt hed by their v.illalnles INTERi IEW INTERESTING My Interview with him was immensely im-mensely interesting, and It began by a candid confession about the breakdown of the Communist system in Russia. ' It has failed," he said, "because no country can live by Itself alone, and all other rounlrles have been hostile to the Russian experiment." He explained ex-plained to me the "New Economic Laws" promulgated bj Lenin and the immense chang. . n l :. h afterwards I witnessed for myself In Russia) which had taken placo. "By reason of civil war," he said. Severe measures were taken by the soviet government Lr concentrate all property and trading in the hands of the state. Those measures had borne ry heavily upon tho people, owing to, jine irMhiiuwn o; 1 1 1 i us. i i 1 1 nn ami the scarcity of food. Now the system Icould no longer be upheld Private I property was recognised as a right, and private trading was restored, The people were again put on a wage basis ba-sis and rationing was stopped except among essential soviet workers and the unemployed Those people who had goods stored up brought them out into tile market places and sold them. With money so obtulned they were able to buy other goods and soil those at profit So free trade was starting rapldh and shops were opening. This modification Of Communism" I no-ti. no-ti. ed that he did not use the word abandon t which would have been more strictly true ''has succeeded bo-cause bo-cause It meets tho wishes of the peasants peas-ants who form $5 per cent of tho population pop-ulation of Russia and were neer con-verted con-verted to thi idea (Jr Communism." WILL PAY OLI DEBTS After a long analysis of the peasant choracter not very favorable or fr..n.l!. though with a tribute to the 'rew.lni s ..f th. .i-a:.,m mind Tchlcherln Tchl-cherln answered a question which I put to him bluntly, hardly expecting him to answer. I said, "Is there any possibility of the soviet government recognizing the old pre-war debts to France and other nations?' His answer an-swer with without hesitation, and Bjinasod me "Of course." he replied 'That is the logical outcome of our present methods We are ready to ac-kowledge ac-kowledge the pre-war debts. But It will not be much good to announce that decision as foreign countries would lake It u.e a sign of weakness foretelling the downfall of the BOVlel government which Is quito untrue ' This was the first acknowledgement made on behalf of the soviet goern- ment that the pre-war debts would be recognized, and I think J was the first man to know it. it Is one of my Journalistic Jour-nalistic regrets that owing to my service ser-vice In Russia as an Investigator of tho lamir.e on oenair oi tne imperial Ke-. Ke-. lief committee. I was unable to send thlg news to the world. LNOTHEB BIG M tr I met another man In Russia, who Is a power behind the scenes, and Will help to prepare the Russian cue as it Will be put before tho Genoa conference. confer-ence. That Is Radek a brilliant man of Jewish race, with an Immense range of knowledge in International affair-.' ; and h perfectly unscrupulous character. charac-ter. He lived formerly in New 'York! land speaks English fluently, though wMth a strong accent. He has been the 'chief propagandist of Communism and i the "world revolution" in Russia and the outside world, but when I saw him In the Kremlin ..f Moscow he talked no longer of world revolution I but of balances of power. His main! Idea was the necessity of peace between be-tween Great Britain and Russia, both of whom ure oriental powers, with 1m-menxe 1m-menxe responsibilities In the Far East. Radek admitted that Botsnevlk agents had leen fanning up trouble against British rule wherever they found an opportunity In India. Afghanistan. Egypt, and other Mohammedan countries. coun-tries. Bui he wild the time had come to abandon all that nonsense and makl a pact which would be useful to |
