861.24/163: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Morris), temporarily at Omsk, to the Secretary of State
[Received August 4, 9:20 a.m.]
On July 29 our informal conference took up the question of the military supplies which will be required by the Kolchak government. Generals Janin30 and Knox31 were present and stated with almost brutal frankness the difficulties which they had met in delivering supplies to the Kolchak army during the past eight months. They reported that the army staff and supply departments were completely disorganized, inefficient, corrupt and unsettled; that personal ambition, jealousy and intrigue prevailed; and that repeated appeals to the Admiral to correct the abuses had been without result because in their judgment he was powerless to act. They also expressed their judgment that it would be useless to continue further shipment of supplies unless the Allied Governments were prepared to exercise supervision and control not only over the distribution but also over the organization of the army itself. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and his colleagues, while believing that the Generals had overstated the existing conditions, admitted that in substance the criticisms were just; and stated that they were not opposed in principle to the adoption of some plan for the supervision of distribution. …
. . . . . . .
[Page 402]All the experts present, including General Graves, … agreed also that some plan of supervision should be made an essential condition of furnishing these supplies. We differed only in the nature and extent of the supervision. I cannot agree with Generals Janin and Knox that Allied military representatives should assume any responsibility for the organization, operation or strategy of the Siberian Army. Such responsibility would involve far-reaching obligations and create difficulties which in my judgment would be fatal to the success of the Kolchak movement.
I have, however, suggested a plan of limited supervision over the distribution of supplies. This plan is now under consideration and as soon as I have obtained the views of Allied representatives and the Kolchak government I will submit it for the consideration of the Department.32