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 from the provinces, in my presence, that the delays in the intervention of the allies were due to the fact that the latter did not wish to commence their military action before they were able at the same time to commence the revictualising of Russia and that the Americans were at that time occupied in making up large stocks of provisions as well as manufactured articles destined for Russia.

From a point of view of the interior of Russia, deceived by the completely wrong impression that „the revolution had been killed“ by Bolshevism, and that the young Russian republic was completely bankrupt, I came back to the idea of a monarchical government, as being the only one capable of regrouping the different nationalities of the Russian State and to give it sufficient force, in order if not to effectively resume the struggle against German Imperialism, then at least to draw a line between itself and the latter. And here again I insisted upon the urgent necessity of allied intervention, though not so much out of sympathy, of course, with the Russian bourgeoisie, particularly the industrial and commercial elements with which I was connected (I was as yet unaware of the conversations that were going on with the Count Mirbach, of the egoism, indifference and even hostility towards the renewal of the struggle against German imperialism), as much as from fear of seeing the German diplomats „forestall us in the re-establishment of a stable government“ in Russia and thus, this time without hope of retrieval, place their hand on this great and unfortunate country.

I have just pointed out that I had come back at that time to the idea of a monarchical