reports. Despite the unpleasant position on the Western front, I had thus no reason to fear any further disavowal. Of this the solemn oath taken on April 13, 1918, by the gathering of Popular Representatives at Prague was an earnest; and I was delighted to get the news of the first Slovak act of revolt at Liptovsky St. Nicholas under the leadership of Šrobař.
In America.
At Vancouver, where alas! a cable from Vladivostok informed me of Klecanda’s death, I was met by Mr. Schelking, a former official of the Russian Foreign Office whose advice had been very helpful to our people at Petrograd when they were working against the policy of Stürmer and Protopopoff. Once again we talked of Russia, the causes of her fall and of her prospects. Representatives of Czech and Slovak organizations in America met me also—Mr. Bosák for the Slovaks and Mr. Pergler whom my fellow-countrymen in America had chosen to be my secretary. I had cabled him from Tokio to meet me so that we might take advantage of the long journey from Vancouver to begin work at once. During my whole stay in America he was with me, working indefatigably. We left Vancouver on April 30, travelling through Western Canada to Chicago and breaking the journey at St. Paul so that I might see my fellow-countrymen, many of whom I had met there before. Chicago was reached on May 5. Here a new phase of activity began—and on a big scale from the start.
After the American fashion, our people in Chicago had arranged a spectacular reception for me. Next to Prague, Chicago was the largest Czech city in the world and it was also the centre of our financial organization. It was the home of Mr. Štěpina whom I had begun to bombard with appeals for money as soon as I got to Venice at the end of 1914; of Dr. Fisher, the head of the Czech Alliance; and of Vojta Beneš (a brother of Dr. Beneš) who had gone the round of our colonies in America to collect the funds for our liberation. Our people had managed to win the goodwill of practically the whole of Chicago, the Americans as well as the Slavs. From the railway station to the hotel there was a huge procession; the city was beflagged with Czech and Slav colours; and during the procession English and Czech speeches were made in the streets. The reception was splended and served as an example for other cities with Czech and Slovak colonies. It was followed by a
