Page:The Proletarian Revolution in Russia - Lenin, Trotsky and Chicherin - ed. Louis C. Fraina (1918).djvu/457

 of Ukrainian land-owners, and their hatred of Austria, which has played the role of restorer of reaction and the gendarme of the Revolution, a role now threatened to be assumed by their governments. We remind them about the disgraceful role played by the German soldiers during the Paris Commune of 1871, and we demand of them that they refuse to carry out the role of hangman of the Revolution now, in 1918, in Siberia and Russia.

The toiling masses of Japan, France, England and America ought to make clear to their imperialistic governments that they will not tolerate shooting, gallows and prisons for the Russian workers, peasants, Cossacks; that they will not allow the Russian revolution and freedom to be crushed. They must rise against the attempt by their governments to chain the Russian proletariat.

In the name of the workers, peasants and Cossacks, the Central Executive Committee of the Soviets declares that the Russian masses will not stand for foreign domination in Siberia and will throw off the yoke which is being prepared for them by foreign imperialists in co-operation with the Russian counter-revolutionists. Russian workers, peasants and Cossacks will fight arms in hands to the last drop of their blood against armed foreign invasion in Russia and Siberia, in order to preserve their revolutionary conquests. Only over, the corpses of the Russian people will foreign Imperialism march into Siberia, only by wading through the rivers of blood of Russian workers and peasants will the imperialistic counter-revolutionists be able to erect again the throne of reaction.

A plot was unearthed to-day which had been engineered by foreign diplomats led by the head of the English mission, Mr. Lockhart, the French Consul-General and some others. Their aim was, after bribing certain detachments of the Soviet's troops, to overthrow the Council of the People's Commissaires and to proclaim in Moscow a military dictatorship. This was a regular conspiracy relying for its success on forged documents and bribes. Among other documents brought to light there was a statement to the effect that if the revolt was successful, forged letters alleged to have passed between the Russian and German governments would be published, and also forged copies of treaties, whereby a sentiment would be created favorable to the declaration of a new war against Germany. The plotters took advantage of their diplomatic immunity and were protected by certificates personally signed by the head of the English Mission in Moscow, Lockhart. Several copies of the documents are already in the hands of the investigating committee. It has been proved that in the past fortnight one million two hundred thousand rubles had been distributed for the purpose of bribery by the English lieutenant Reilly, one of Lockhart's agents. An Englishman arrested in the plotters' secret meeting place and brought before the investigating committee was found to be the English diplomatic representative Lockhart. He was released as soon as his identity was established. Unsuc-