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(handwritten) Secret
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BRITISH EMBASSY.
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PETROGRAD.
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29th Sept. 1917.
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| Enclosure in Sir G. Buchanan's |
| Despatch No. XX |
| SECRET. |
| DESPATCH NO. (handwritten) 19 |
| SUBJECT: |
Discipline in |
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Russian Army. |
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Sir,
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| I have the honour to give some notes on the present state of the
discipline question in the Russian Army. |
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1. State of discipline up
till Kornilov's failure.
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| Up
to the lamentable failure of Kornilov's attempt to form a dictatorship,
the restoration of discipline in the the Army appeared to be within
the bounds of possibility. Measures were being introduced which are
looked upon as essential in all regular armies of the world. The death
sentence had been introduced at the front and in rear. The men were
not allowed to remove higher commanders at will. The powers of committees
were being restricted and confined purely to matters of interior economy.
There even seemed the possibility of removing the committees altogether
in time. The position of the officers was becoming markedly improved. |
| Kornilov's
demands had practically all been conceded by the Prov. Govt, and their
introduction into the army would have at all events given every ground
to hope that discipline could possibly be restored. |
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His Excellency,
Sir G. Buchanan, G.C.B., etc., etc.,
H.B.M.'s
Ambassador,
Petrograd.
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2. Result of Kornilov's
failure.
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| Kornilov's ill timed venture not only put a complete stop to the
progress begun, but has put the whole question back to where it was
immediately after the Revolution, with this difference, that, having
now twice been made the scapegoats of the army, the officers will
find it well nigh impossible to regain the position necessary to enable
them to carry out their duties. |
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3. Appointments of Kerenski, Alexeyev
and Verkhovski.
Kerenski's assumption of the post of C.-in-C. and Alexeyev's appointment
as C. of S. were immediately followed by the issue of an Army Order.
(See Appendix A.)
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| In this
order 7 definite commands were issued, the trend of which was to insist
on all previous orders which had been issued for the maintenance of
discipline being strictly enforced. The first point is worthy of notice,
namely "To stop political conflicts amongst the troops."
If this order was enforced it would go far towards removing one of
the main causes of the present lack of discipline, namely the introduction
of politics into the Army. The whole trend of present affairs, however,
is working in the opposite direction, and the Army is becoming more
and more steeped in politics. This is not to be wondered at, as the
Army is at present the deciding factor in the political situation. |
| Verkhovski's
appointment as Minister of War was followed by a conference of himself,
Kerenski and Alexeyev's. The 2 main results of the Conference were,
Alexeyev's resignation and the decision to introduce drastic reforms
in the Army. |
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