4. Disarmament.—­Mr. Balfour called attention to the urgency of the question of disarmament, and said that he would shortly propose that a Committee should be appointed to consider this question.

Villa Majestic, Paris January 21st, 1919.

This is the minute of January 21, and the Prinkipos memorandum was written on January 22.

The instructions to the President were as follows: 

It was agreed that President Wilson should draft a proclamation for consideration at the next meeting, inviting all organized parties in Russia to attend a meeting to be held at some selected place such as Salonika or Lemnos, in order to discuss with the representatives of the allied and associated great powers the means of restoring order and peace in Russia.  Participation in the meeting should be conditional on a cessation of hostilities.

     The President then wrote the Prinkipos proposition.

Senator Knox.  Did you make a written report of your mission?

Mr. Bullitt.  I did, sir.

Senator Knox.  Have you it here?

Mr. Bullitt.  Yes, sir.  I might read the report without the appendices.

Senator Knox.  The chairman wants you to read it.

The chairman.  I do not know whether it is very long.  The report he made would be of some interest.  You were the only official representative sent?

Mr. Bullitt.  Yes, sir; except Capt.  Pettit, my assistant.  The circumstances of my sending will perhaps require further elucidation.  I not only was acquainted with the minutes of the discussions of the council of ten, but in addition I had discussed the subject with each of the commissioners each morning and I had talked with many British representatives.  After the Prinkipos proposal was made, the replies began to come in from various factions, that they would refuse to accept it for various reasons.  The Soviet Government replied in a slightly evasive form.  They said, “We are ready to accept the terms of the proposals, and we are ready to talk about stopping fighting.”  They did not say, “We are ready to stop fighting on such and such a date.”  It was not made specific.

Senator Knox.  That was one of the conditions of the proposal?

FRANCE BLOCKS PRINKIPOS CONFERENCE

Mr. Bullitt.  It was.  That is why I say they replied in an evasive manner.  The French—­and particularly the French foreign office, even more than Mr. Clemenceau—­and you can observe it from that minute were opposed to the idea, and we found that the French foreign office had communicated to the Ukrainian Government and various other antisoviet governments that if they were to refuse the proposal, they would support them and continue to support them, and not allow the Allies, if they could prevent it, or the allied Governments, to make peace with the Russian Soviet Government.