Page:Georgy Vasilyevich Chicherin - Two Years of Foreign Policy (1920).pdf/34

 to carry on negotiations with Soviet Russia in an extremely hostile tone. At the time of the Polish revolution, the Polish working masses in Moscow replaced the delegation of the former council of the Regency—this organ of the German authorities of occupation—by an elected Polish representative body. The Government of Morachevsky protested against the dismissal of the agents of the Council of the Regency. Negotiations for the return of these to Poland had begun, as the Soviet Government had in principle consented to this. But in January occurred the cruel assassination of our Red Cross mission, deported from Poland near the village of Mien in the county of Vysoko-Mazovietzk. On January 19, the power was taken over by the purely bourgeois Government of Paderewski, which Government, however, assumed a less hostile attitude towards Soviet Russia. Its representative, Ventzkowsky, came to Moscow for the purpose of settling various controversial questions, such as the assassination of the Red Cross mission, the exchange of hostages, the return of refugees, etc. Ventzkowsky transmitted to the Soviet Government the declaration of the Central Workers' Committee of the Polish Socialist Party concerning the alleged aggressive policy of the Soviet Government against Poland. We answered definitely that we had no aggressive intentions, and pointed out our readiness to enter into an agreement with Poland on the basis of popular referendum in the provinces over which disputes had arisen, and to offer this agreement to the Lithuanian Soviet Government. Shortly after this, however, the Polish offensive began, and after a treacherous invasion of Vilna by the Polish legionaries, the Soviet Government was compelled to ask Ventzkowsky to leave Soviet Russia, having at the same time declared that at any moment it would be ready to begin peace negotiations again as soon as Poland ceased her military operations.

One of the greatest historic factors, which influenced our entire foreign policy of the year 1919, was