THE KRASSIN MISSION.

Southland Times, Issue 18840, 5 June 1920, Page 4

THE KRASSIN MISSION.

While there is every reason for caution in dealing with a country and a government about which the world really knows very little, the London Times is not making the position any safer or any easier by its strenuous attacks upon the Krassin Mission from Bolshevist Russia. When the Allied blockade of Russia was lifted and 7: was resolved that a certain amount of trading with the co-operative societies should be carried on. it was clear to everybody that these things could be accomplished only with the consent of the Bolsheviks, who controlled all means of transportation and, according to authoritative reports, also controlled the co-operative societies. It was a logical outcome of this policy of opening up trade with Russia that the Krassin mission should be interviewed and providing this Soviet emissary confines himself to the official business that he has visited Britain to carry out, there floes not seem to be any valid reason why the discussion should not proceed without the tempestuous attacks of (he London Times. If an Allied commission is sent to Russia to test the validity of the statements made by M. Krassin and to clear i:n the question of the ownership of (lie commodities he is proposing to sell, nothing but good ran result because the more first-hand information we can get of the Bolsheviks and their system of gov eminent the better we will he able to under stand the problem that we have to face The fact that the London Times has discovered proof of effort* hy (he Bolshevik-' to bribe the Polish Army is not very impressive. When two countries are at war, the bribing of one combatant of the other troops is regarded as a perfectly legiti male means of breaking down the morale of the opposing forces, and the Bolsheviks have sufficient argument* to justify their action in regard to the Poles and to the troops led by Denikin and Koltchak. M. Krassin will probably plead that these nidi- j tary matters do not touch his mission and ; he will ask that his proposals shall he eon- ! sidered quite apart from any discussion of the rights or wrongs of the Soviet government and‘its wars with Poland. Nothing is to be gained at the present moment from a furious attack upon this emissary before he has done anything to deserve it, and still 1 less from the identification of two British j officials as "advocates of the Bolshevist I cause.” It is probable that these two gentle- J men favour the proposal to trade with the j Russian co-operative societies and. if pos- ! sible, to put (he Bolshevist system of pov- j eminent to the searching test of peaceful de- ! velopinent, but to call them advocates of i the Bolshevist cause, has a decidedly ugly j sound. The Krassin mission represents on | important, step in the Allied efforts to give 1 Russia the chance of working out her own i salvation and the London Times is only j hampering the Government without doin'* t much good to anybody. j