861.00/3643
The British Chargé (Barclay) to the Acting Secretary of State
Memorandum
His Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires presents his compliments to the Acting Secretary of State and has the honour, under instructions from His Majesty’s Government, to suggest to the United States Government the propriety of transmitting the following message to the Soviet Government at Moscow, to General Kolchak at Omsk, to General Denikin at Ekaterinburg, to Mons. Tschaikowsky at Archangel, and to the Governments of ex-Russian States:
“The Great Friendly Powers are about to assemble in Paris to work for a solution of problems arising out of the war and to bring about a settlement of international and national controversies that still survive it.
“One of their first tasks will be an endeavour to bring about peace in Russia, to reconcile conflicting national parties and peoples both in Russia and in adjacent states and territories and to bring succour to suffering populations.
“Pending decisions that will be taken in this sense the Great Friendly Powers call upon all the Governments, parties and peoples in states and territories in question to abstain from further aggressions hostilities and reprisals, and require them to keep the peace both at home and with their neighbours.
“If the aforesaid Governments and parties will immediately suspend hostilities on all fronts for the duration of the Peace Negotiations, even [then3] if they or any of them should desire to send [Page 3] representatives to Paris to discuss with the Great Powers conditions of a permanent settlement, the Great Powers would be prepared to enter on such a discussion with them.
Message ends.”
Some immediate action of this kind would appear to be necessary without awaiting the meeting of the Powers at Paris owing to the urgency of the appeals which are being received by His Majesty’s Government from Lithuanians, Esthonians, etc., and the danger of their extermination within the next few weeks.
- Correction on basis of further note from the British Chargé, no. 16, Jan. 4 (file no. 861.00/3607), not printed.↩