861.00/5257: Telegram
The Chargé in China (Tenney) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 9:35 p.m.]
From [Harris at] Omsk.
September 21st, 4 p.m. General Graves through his military reprentative, Major Slaughter, has presented the following note to the Omsk Foreign Office:
“In view of anti-American declarations of Kalmikoff and actions of General Rozanoff in doing nothing to stop Kalmikoff, and in view of the part [fact?] that Semenoff has told Kalmikoff he will assist him in case of trouble against the United States, I have informed the War Department, but have recommended no sale of military supplies to Admiral Kolchak for the Government as long as his agents in the East are threatening to declare war on the United States. Please tell the Foreign Minister the above and say to him I have refused to give up the rifles now here as long as above conditions continue.
The Golos Rodini is publishing libellous, insulting and disgusting lies about the Americans and Rozmikoff [Rozanoff?] failed to take action. Tell the Foreign Minister that unless action is taken at once I shall close the paper and arrest the editors. This will be done because there is practically no authority here willing to act in protecting American soldiers from these insults.[”]
While fully sympathizing with the exasperating conditions which face General Graves and the sole [whole?] of our army, yet I trust wiser counsels may prevail before proceeding to any drastic acts of violence which will be fraught with grave consequences for the future. Should the Golos Rodini be thus suppressed a storm of anti-American propaganda will spread over Siberia and a hundred Golos Rodinis will spring up throughout the length and breadth of this country. The appointment of Rozanoff to succeed Horvath in the Far East is now looked upon as a serious mistake by the Omsk Government. I have been unofficially informed that [apparent omission] will shortly be taken to withdraw him. The unfortunate utterances of Ambassador Morris in Vladivostok,67 if true, have been received by a storm of indignation by the various members of this Government including Kolchak, and the Ambassador’s mission to [Page 517] Omsk, as far as achieving any practical results in connection with this Government, has ended in deplorable failure. I respectfully beg to point out to the Department that at no time have I considered the situation, as far as our relations with the Russians are concerned, so critical as at the present moment. Harris.