proceed to Russia and start work in Petrograd. Then, on April 12th, Dürich himself received a letter from M. Bibikov, the Russian Minister in Berne, who stated that, in accordance with a previous promise from Petrograd to inform Dürich of the moment regarded by the official circles there as suitable for his arrival, he could now start on his journey. Bibikov’s letter was brought, I believe, by Svatkovsky from Berne to Paris.
On April 13, 1916, Dürich, Svatkovsky, and I met to discuss matters together, and to arrange a course of action for our work in Russia. At this meeting it was emphasized that the co-operation with Paris and London was to be thorough and continual. Approval was given to the plan, already agreed upon, of transporting a certain number of our prisoners of war to France in order that on the Western front also we might establish an army of some size in co-operation with Lokhvitsky, Ignatyev, and the Russian Embassy. Dürich and myself were to discuss this question further with them.
Finally Svatkovsky emphasized to Dürich one more matter which at that time was particularly important to us. He had often spoken with Masaryk and myself about affairs in Russia, and he was not at all satisfied with them. He, like ourselves, was afraid that events might take an unfavourable turn from within. He criticized the military unpreparedness, the political fickleness, and the internal disorder which threatened to produce an outburst. Moreover, he was dissatisfied with the politics of Petrograd in matters relating to the Poles, the Jugoslavs, and ourselves. He was well acquainted with these matters, and he did not conceal from us his opinion of what Petrograd was undertaking. He was also offended by the attitude of the Tsarist Government towards us. Among my notes on this meeting of ours I have a record of his exact words to Dürich: “Insist upon telling them in Petrograd quite plainly: In the West they have done everything for us that we wanted, but you in Russia have done nothing.”
Dürich made preparations for his departure. First of all he paid a number of political visits to Briand, Berthelot, Lokhvitsky, Ignatyev, and to the Russian Embassy where he was received by Sebastopulo, the Ambassador’s deputy. Unfortunately, he made a number of political blunders which did us considerable harm even in Paris, and from which (and, I may add, from a number of other symptoms) we saw that Dürich’s political mission would probably end badly. After Dürich
