Blatancy & Moderation

The public acts of Premier Baldwin's Government, last week, let two sizable cats out of the Cabinet's bag, the drawstrings of which have been kept knotted tightly at secret Cabinet sessions for weeks. It was clear that the moderate Baldwin-Chamberlain*; cabinet-faction had finally composed their differences with the reactionary Churchill/---Birkenhead** group. Swift action followed, letting the cats out of the bag.

Russian Cat. The Churchill-Birkenhead clique, arch-Russophobes, dictated (as their share of the Cabinet compromise) a note of "protest and warning" to the Soviet Government. The language of this note was not that of diplomacy. It was intelligible to the man in the street and clear to the man in the gutter. Had such a note been addressed to the U. S., French, or Italian Government by the British it would have constituted an insult, only to be avenged by war. Paradoxically the mild, peace-propagating Sir Austen Chamberlain was obliged to sign this note as Foreign Secretary. His was another slice of the Cabinet Compromise (see below).

Russophobe Note: "His Majesty's Government consider it necessary to warn the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics in the gravest terms that there are limits beyond which it is dangerous to drive public opinion in this country and that the continuance of such acts as here complained of must sooner or later render inevitable the abrogation of the trade agreement,* the stipulations of which have been so flagrantly violated, and even the severance of ordinary diplomatic relations."

With this threat blazoned, the British note went on to asperse individually and by name five officials of the Soviet Government. Example: Georg Tchitcherin, Soviet Foreign Minister, was described as possessed of the "delusion . . . [and] obsession, which is as illogical as ill-founded . . . that Great Britain is continually plotting against the Union of Socialist Soveit Republics. . . ."

Further compliments to M. Tchitcherin included reference to his "nervous mind," his "preference for bad over good sources of information," and his "malevolent bias which makes pure invention the basis or support of his policy."

Specific Charges. 1) That the Politbureau of the Communist party is really the Soviet Government and that M. Bukharin of the Politbureau has said: "The English miners' strike and the national revolution in China are, it seems to me, the chief spots where the Communist Parties must apply their efforts. . . ."

2) That Isvestia is the official and responsible newspaper of the Soviet Government which is accordingly responsible for "grossly insulting and mendacious cartoons" of British statesmen, etc.

Conclusion. "His Majesty's Government are not concerned with the domestic affairs of Russia nor with its form of government. All they require is that that Government should refrain from interference with purely British concerns and abstain from hostile action or propaganda against British subjects. . . .

"His Majesty's Government trust that this protest and warning will be received by the Union of Soviet Republics with the attention they require and that no further cause of complaint may be given."

(Signed)

AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN

Press Reaction. In Moscow, Isvestia commented:

"Individual Soviet citizens have gone to China and enlisted in the Chinese armies just as English volunteers joined the Boers and as Lord Byron fought for Greece. . . . England protests against the aid which we gave the striking coal miners, but the British sent money here for the Patriarch Tikhon. Great Britain must realize that a break with us means a break with one-sixth of the world."

The London press reacted coldly to the note, took the tone that its charges were true but that such strong language was appropriate only to an actual breaking off of negotiations, and could do no good as a threat. The Independent Rothermere Evening News reflected the general attitude when its editor wrote wittily:

"The proverbial dog with tallow legs being pursued through the nether regions by an asbestos cat is in a better case than the fugitive hope that the Soviet will not give further cause for complaint."

The Liberal Star dubbed the note mere "beating of the air," added:

"It lends color to the story that the government intends to euchre both the Soviet and the die-hards here by deferring a break until next year and then making Bolshevism an election issue."

Soviet Reply. Since Soviet Foreign Minister Tchitcherin is receiving treatment at a German spa, it was Acting Foreign Minister Litvinov who replied to Britain:

"If the British government thinks that abrogation [of its relations with Soviet Russia] is demanded by the interests of the British people and general peace, the British government must assume full responsibility for the ensuing consequences. The Soviet government will continue its policy of peace, excluding any aggressive spirit toward any other countries, and will sincerely welcome any mutual step toward peace on the part of Great Britain."

The Russian note then matched almost line for line the anti-British outburst of Soviet statesmen with similar virulently anti-Russian utterances from Winston Churchill, Lord Birkenhead, and Colonel Amery. Shrewd, M. Litvinov, pointed out that no Anglo-Russian "agreement exists limiting the liberty of the press or speech within the boundaries of either country."

Chinese Cat. With the Churchill-Birkenhead Russophobe cat out of the Cabinet's bag and mewing rather plaintively in the streets, Sir Austen Chamberlain could rejoice in the enthusiastic reception given by the whole British press to an announcement he was able to make, last week, concerning China.

This was that the Cabinet would not pursue a Chinaphobe policy in an effort to wrest back the British concession at Hankow from the Chinese Nationalists who recently seized it by mob force (TIME, Jan. 17). Sir Austen made public, last week, the secret text of the present Chino-British agreement concerning Hankow (TIME, Jan. 24 et seq.); and this was found to be a quiet peaceable undertaking to administer Hankow in future by a Chino-British Council on which Chinese would slightly predominate.

A year or even six months ago this announcement would have brought protests from all factions that Great Britain was knuckling under shamefully to the Chinese Nationalists. By last week, however, the strength of the Chinese Nationalists was so well realized in London that reactions from the chief political factions were unanimously favorable.

*Rt. Hon. Sir Austen Chamberlain, K. G. (Knight of the Order of the Garter), Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Leader of the House of Commons.

/-Rt. Hon. Winston Spencer Churchill. C. H. (Companion of Honour), Chancellor of the Exchequer.

**Rt. Hon. the Earl of Birkenhead, K. C. King's (Council), Secretary of State for India.

*On June 4, 1923, the Soviet Government signed the following agreement:

"The Soviet Government undertakes not to support with funds, or in any other form, persons or bodies or agencies or institutions whose aim is to spread discontent or foment rebellion in any part of the British Empire, and to impress upon its officers and officials full and continuous observance of these conditions."