DOCUMENT NO. 28 Gr. General Staff, Central Division, Section M, No. 389. (Confidential) February 24, 1918. TO THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSAR OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: According to instructions of the Imperial Government, I have the honor to ask you to make in the shortest possible time an investigation as to what commercial boats, auxiliary cruisers, and transports may be sent into the waters of the Pacific Ocean, where the German Government intends to form, for the purpose of opposing the American-Japanese trade, a powerful commercial fleet flying the Russian flag. graph as indicating the use against_America to which Germany intends to put Russia is self-evident. The ludicrous picture painted in the second paragraph at once intensifies the shame of the ending of the fine new Russian Navy and discloses the German hope of securing and refitting the vessels. Have original letter. DOCUMENT NO. 29 G. G.-S., Intelligence Bureau, Section R, No. 883. (Very Secret) March 9, 1918. TO THE COMMISSION FOR COMBATING THE COUNTER REVOLUTION: It is herewith communicated that for watching, and if necessary attacking, the Japanese, American, and Rus Секретно. Господину Предсѣдателю Совѣта Народных Комисса ров. Отдѣленіе Штаба имѣетъ честь просить свѣдѣній о настроеніи направляемыхъ къ Пскову отрядов и предостерегаетъ отъ возможныхъ печальныхъ послѣдствій, если въ этихъ отрядахъ будетъ вестись патріотическая пропаганда и агитація противъ Германской АрMin. Начальникъ Русскаго Отдѣла Адъютантъ Ю. Вольфра Facsimile Document Number 30 At the same time I call to your attention the data that in your Baltic fleet your sailors are selling from the war ships the launches, small fittings, copper, and bronze parts of machines, • etc. Would it not be the proper time to raise the question of selling to Germany these war vessels which are being stripped and disarmed? Be so kind as to communicate the decision of the Government. Head of the Russian Division of the NOTE. Opposite first paragraph is the notation: "Ask Lomof. Markin." Latter was one of Trotsky's secretaries. Opposite paragraph second, Markin makes notation, "Refer to Raskolnikoff." Latter is a commissar on this Naval General Staff, who conducted conferences with German officers in Kronstadt in March, April, and July, 1917, and an active aid to Dybenko in stirring up the Russian fleet to revolt. Do not know who Lomof is. The importance of the first para THE PLOT FOR A SHAMEFUL Germany made its Russian peace with its own puppet government, the misnamed Council of People's Commissars, the president of which is Vladimir Ulianov (Lenin), the foreign minister of which was Leon Trotsky, and the ambassador of which to Germany is A. Joffe. Germany made this peace harder upon the Russian people as punishment to the ambition of its tools in seeking to become too powerful, and in hoping for a little while not only that Russia would be delivered over to them, but that they could double-cross their masters by turning a simulated German revolution into a real one. But their craftiness was a toy in the hands of rough German force. Germany was actually double-crossing them by negotiating with the Ukranian Rada at the moment they dreamed they were tricking Germany. Germany, however, did not discard the Bolshevik leaders, recognizing their further use in the German world campaign for internal disorganizations in the nations with which it wars, but confined them to the limited inland province which Great Russia proper has now become. Lenin, according to statements made ⚫ public as soon as Trotsky's spectacular device of "No peace-No war" failed, always was for peace on any German terms. He dominated the situation thereafter and conceded everything that Germany asked. Nor did Trotsky cease to continue to obey the German orders delivered to him both by Gen. Hoffman at Brest-Litovsk, and at Petrograd directly by the Russian Division of the German General Staff, which was seated in Petrograd itself from November, 1917, and which was still there in full operation when I left, Monday, March 4, the day that Petrograd received notification that peace had been signed at Brest-Litovsk by the Russian and German delegations. Trotsky, therefore, rests rightly under the accusation of having staged his theatrical scene as a climax to the Russian disorganization desired by Germany. The actual order he gave was for the immediate demobilization of the Russian army, leaving the German army unopposed. The actual effect of the work of the Bolshevik leaders, moreover, was to enable Germany to combine its former army of the Russian front with its western army, for the launching of its March offensive in France. Such has been the fruition of Russia's German-directed Bolshevikism. The following documents tell the story of the betrayal of Russia to a shameful and ruinous peace. DOCUMENT NO. 30 G[reat] General Staff, Central Divisior Section M/R, No. 408. 'Secret) February 26, 1918. This Division of the Staff has the Head of the Russian Division German General Staff: O. RAUSCH. Adjutant: U. WOLFF. NOTE.-The chairman of the Council of People's Commissars is Lenin. At the top of this letter is the written comment: "Urgent. Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars asks Volodarsky to communicate this to the agitation department. Secretary Skripnik." Skripnik is the first secretary of the Government, personally reporting to Lenin. A second notation in margin is: "Central Executive Committee No. 823 to report," signed with illegible initials. The detachments being sent to Pskoff at this time were composed of Red Guards and of the recruits of the new Red Army. Pskoff was taken by the Germans without a fight. Have original letter. DOCUMENT NO. 31 G. G.-S., Intelligence Bureau, Section R, No. 750. (Very Secret) February 27, 1918. TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS: Not having received an exact answer to my question of the 25th of February, I now have the honor a second time to request you to inform me in the shortest possible time the numbers and kind of forces sent to Pskoff and Narva. At the same time, at the orders of the representative of our General Staff, I once more remind you of the desirability of naming Gen. Parski to NOTE.-Across the letter is written "Send to Trotsky and Podvoisky. N. G." (Gorbunov's initials, chief secretary of the Council of People's Commissars.) Observe the mandatory nature of the whole letter and particularly of the first paragraph. Agasfer, as has been shown, is the cipher signature of Maj. Luberts, head of the Petrograd Intelligence Bureau of the German General Staff, the chief branch of the Russian Division of the German General Staff, the head of which is Maj. Rausch, referred to in this letter as the representative of "our General Staff." Apparently both Luberts and Rausch wrote a warning against sending any patriots to the defending forces, and seemingly the Bolshevik effort at obedience as indicated in document No. 30 was not fast enough to suit the German martinets. Podvoisky was minister of war. Gen. Parski was appointed to the com G. G.-S. NACHRICHTEN-BUREAU. Section. K Ne.. 27 Февраля 1918 г. mand of the Petrograd district, and as late as June 14 still held the post. He formerly was in command of the city of Riga, which was surrendered to the Germans without adequate defense in the early autumn of 1917. Have original letter. DOCUMENT NO. 32 G. G.-S., Intelligence Bureau, Section R, No. 272/600. (Very Secret) February 6, 1918. TO THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSAR OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: I ask you to immediately give the Turkish subject, Carp C. Missirof, a Russian passport in place of the one taken from him, which was given him in 1912 on the basis of the inclosed national passport. Agent C. Missirof is to be sent to the staff of the Russian High Command, where, according to the previous discussion between Gen. Hoffman and Commissars Trotsky and Joffe, he will keep watch on the activity of the head of the staff, Gen. Bonch-Bruevich, in the capacity of assistant to the Commissars Kalmanovich and Feierabend. For the head of the Bureau: Г. Председателю Созѣтс Народныхъ Комиссаровѣ. NOTE.-Here we have the behind-the-scene disclosure of the real relations between Trotsky and Gen. Hoffman at Brest-Litovsk, stripping the mask from the public pose. Trotsky got his orders in this case and he carried them out. Across the top of this letter, too, he has written his own conviction, "Ask Joffe. L. T.," while Joffe, whose rôle seems to be that of the mouthpiece of Germany, has written in the margin, "According to agreement this must be done. A. Joffe." Thereby he becomes a witness for the agreement itself that pledge between himself, Trotsky, and the military chief of the German Government at the Brest-Litovsk conference, to betray the commander of the Russian army when he should attempt to defend Russia against Germany. A further marginal note states that the passport was given February 7, under the Russian name, P. L. Ilin. Have original letter and the surrendered passport. Kalmanovich and Feierabend were Commissars of Counter Espionage. THE UKRAINIAN DOUBLE-CROSS How the Bolsheviki themselves were double-crossed in the Ukraine; how the Germans toyed with their puppets to disorganize Russia, with disclosures of plans for assassination of loyal Russian leaders, are shown in the following documents and Mr. Sisson's accompanying notes. DOCUMENT NO. 33 Counter Espionage at Army Headquarters, No. 63. January 10, 1918. TO THE COMMISSION FOR COMBATING THE COUNTER REVOLUTION: The Commissar on Combating the Counter Revolution in a cipher telegram, No. 235, demanded the sending of special agents to Kieff and Novocherkask. There have been sent Comrades Vlasenko, Gavrilchuk, and Korablev, who have more than once very successfully performed information service. The commissar in his cipher telegram indicates that the German and Austrian agents assigned from Petrograd, Lieuts. Otto, Kremer, Blum, and Vasilko, are playing a double rôle, reporting on what is happening at Petrograd, and they carry on an intensive agitation in favor of a separate peace of the Ukraine with the Central Powers, and for the restoring of order. Their work is having suc NOTE. So stands disclosed the manner in which Germany set about to double-cross the Bolshevik servants who in success had become at times uppish in bargaining with their masters. It was not a part of the German program to create in Russia a power which it could not at any time control, or, if need be, overturn. Its plan here had the additional advantage of not only disciplining the Petrograd Bolsheviks but also of disunifying Russia still further. It worked out to a separate peace with Ukraine and a separate peace with Great Russia. Lieut. Otto is the Konshin afterwards arrested for some unknown betrayal. See Document No. 2. Have photograph of letter. TO THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSAR OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: In accordance with your request, the Intelligence Bureau on November 29 sent to Rostof Maj. von Boehlke, who arranged there a survey over the forces of the Don Troop Government. The major also organized a detachment of prisoners of war, who took part in the battles. In this case, the prisoners of war, in accordance with the directions given by the July conference at Kronstadt, participated in by Messrs. Lenin, Zinovieff, Kameneff, Raskolnikoff, Dybenko, Shisko, Antonoff, Krilenko, Volodarsky, and Podvoisky, were dressed in Russian army and navy uniforms. Maj. von Boehlke took part in commanding, but the conflicting orders of the official commander Arnautoff, and the talentless activity of the scout Tulak, paralyzed the plans of our officer. The agents sent by order from Petrograd to kill Gens. Kaledin, Bogaevsky, and Alexieff were cowardly and nonenterprising people. Agents passed through to Karauloff. The communications of Gen. Kaledin with the Americans and English are beyond doubt, but they limit themselves entirely to financial assistance. Maj. von Boehlke, with the passport of the Finn, Uno Muuri, returned to Petrograd and will make a report today at the office of the chairman of the council at 10 p. m. For the head of the Bureau: Adjutant: R. BAUER. M. K. (?). NOTE.-This is a cold-blooded disclosure of a German-Bolshevik plan for the assassination of Kaledin and Alexieff, as well as proof of a condition often denied by Smolny during the winter that German prisoners were being armed as Russian soldiers in the struggle against the Russian nationalists on the Don. The letter also contains the most complete list of the participants in the July conspiracy conference at Kronstadt. The marginal comment opposite the assassination paragraph, "Who sent them?" is in an unknown handwriting. Maj. von Boehlke is a German officer referred to in Document No. 5. His cipher signature is Schott. Have photograph of letter. DOCUMENT NO. 36 G. G.-S., Intelligence Bureau, Section R, No. 136. (Very Secret) November 28, 1917. TO THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS: In accordance with your request, the Intelligence Bureau of the General Staff informs the Council of People's Commissars that the Ukrainian Commission at the Austrian High Command, in which participate the empowered representatives of the German Staff, has worked out a plan of the activities of the revolutionaries known to the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Executive Committee of the Council of Workmen's and Soldiers' Deputies-Chudovsky, Boyarsky, Gubarsky, and Piatakov-who are under the full direction of the AustroHungarian High Command. The commander in chief of the Russian army has been made acquainted by Schott with plans of the AustroGerman High Command and will cooperate with him. Head of Bureau: AGASFER. NOTE. At this early time there was harmony all around on the Ukraine program, Germans, Austrians, and the Commissars in mplete brotherhood. Schott is Maj. von Boehlke and Agasfer is Maj. Luberts. Have photograph of letter. CHAPTER V. TROTSKY AND ROUMANIA The machinations of Trotsky, inspired by the German Gen. Hoffman, for the disruption of Roumania are disclosed in the following: DOCUMENT NO. 37 Counter Espionage at Army Headquarters, No. 20. January 2, 1918. TO THE COMMISSION ON COMBATING COUNTER REVOLUTION: Commander in chief Krilenko has requested the Counter Espionage at the Army Headquarters to inform you that it is necessary to order the following persons to the Roumanian front immediately: From Petrograd, Commissar Kuhl, Socialist Rakovsky, Sailor Gnieshin; and from the front the chief of staff of the Red Guard, Durasov. These persons should be supplied with literature and with financial resources for agitation. To them is committed the task of taking all measures for the deposing of the Roumanian king and the removal of counter revolutionary Roumanian officers. Director of Counter Espionage: Secretary: NOTE. This marks the continuance of large-scale work to disorganize the Roumanian army. That it advances disappointingly to Germany is evidenced by vengeful steps taken by Gen. Hoffman and Trotsky from Brest-Litovsk, when in the middle of January |