WOODROW WILSON
my own experience: I was in contact with them in Ukraine and Moscow): I know how to work with them, and I had a certain amount of influence over them. I never agreed with the whole of their program, and I utterly condemn their tactics. Mr. Hapgood not long ago quoted a statement of Lenin which said that out of a hundred Bolsheviks one is reasonable, the rest being fools and criminals—if Lenin really believes in this cynical criticism of Russia, then he is himself the greatest criminal of all. Their radical social reforms the few reasonable Bolsheviks can put into effect only through these fools and criminals, and such means and methods ultimately must always destroy the goal. Lenin is a Jesuit . . . . . an honorable and moral object cannot be achieved by dishonorable methods.
Bolshevism is clearly amateurism in all respects, and cannot administer Russia and bring about order there. But the misfortune of Russia lies in the fact that the anti-Bolshevist parties are also amateurish, for that is the curse of Tsarism, that it did not accustom Russians to administrative work. The Bolsheviks keep their power only through the weakness and incompetency of their opponents. I, and with me our army, did everything possible not to provoke the Bolsheviks: we wanted to work in Russia without obstacles. Only when the Bolsheviks showed themselves openly faithless, when they combined with the Germans, we were forced to take the defensive. With those 99 fools and criminals peaceful dealing is impossible; their aggression must be energetically repelled. This they understand, and this only.
[ 51 ]
