RUSSIA AND THE ALLIED POLICY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 92, 11 January 1918, Page 5

RUSSIA AND THE ALLIED POLICY

TROTSKY INTERVIEWED REGARDING HIS VIEWS

GERMAN SOLDIERS WILL NOT GO TO WESTERN FRONT

(Rec. January 10, 7.20 p.m.) London, January 0. Mr. llansonie, the Potrograd correspondent of the "Daily News," interviewed M. Trotsky, who was on tho point of departing for Brest Litovsk, with tho mistaken impression that the Allies wanted Germany to succeed in making an advantageous eoparato pcaco with Russia, so that Germany, guarding herself on tho East front, might ho moro willing to surrender what tho Allies want on the West front. Trotsky said he interpreted Mr. Lloyd George in that way. "Tho Allies then blame tho Eolsheviki for tho lost freedom °if Poland, Lithuania, and Courland," ho continued. Mr. Kansome assured Trotsky he was mistaken. The latter replied: "That is tho Allied policy." In reply to a furthor question, Trotsky said tho International Labour Conference would, do no harm. The attitudo of the Bolsheviki would not 1)0 influenced by the Allied Governments, only by tho Allied peoples. "It is difficult," said Trotsky, "to say what are tho hopes of a goneral peace, because tho Germans have not yet been offered the chance of a "onoral acceptable peace, but thoy must need it. Tho Germans havo abandoned attempts to raovo large East front units westward, and now tako men singly. The men jump out of tho tr a i ns an( l escape. Deserters tell mo tho soldiers will not go to the Western fr O nt. Twenfcy-fivo thousand Germans at this moment are mutinying behind tho German front in the Koyno district. The High Command, failing to get their comrades to attack the mutineers, surrounded them, hoping to starve them into submission." Trotsky refused to he drawn regarding the act'.i a l t orms h<. hopes to obtiiin, adding, laughingly: "Logically wo ought to de c ] ar e war against England now, For tins sake of India, Egypt,'ami Ireland."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.