Great play has been made in various newspapers with these
revelations, but though we profoundly mistrust Mr. Churchill, we are bound to say that the document does not add very much to the opinion we had already formed of Mr. Churchill's am- bitious and adventurous policy as regards Russia. It was always known that Mr. Churchill hoped to stretch out a hand to Admiral Koltehak. Moreover, there are bound to be errors in a document which was a report written in Russian of a conversa- tion conducted in French and which has since then been trans- lated into English. On the whole we are inclined to find a more sinister meaning in the allegation of Colonel Wedgwood that in May or June, 1919, Mr. Churchill telegraphed to General Knox, head of the British Military Mission in Siberia, instructing him to tell Admiral Koltchak
"that the Prime Minister, who is all-powerful, is a convinced Democrat, and particularly devoted to advanced views on the land question, and suggesting consequently that Admiral Koltchak should issue a broad and stirring appeal, promising the lands to the peasants and a Constituent Assembly in order to strengthen his (Mr. Churchill's) hands in urging the Prime Minister and Cabinet to recognise Admiral Koltchak's Govern- ment."
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