I was asked to inform Mr. Kerr of this trip.  I told him all about it, and asked him if he could get Mr. Balfour and Mr. Lloyd George to give me a general indication of their point of view on peace with Russia; what they would be prepared to do in the matter.

Mr. Kerr and I then talked and prepared what we thought might be the basis of peace with Russia.

I then received from Mr. Kerr, before I left, the following letter, which is a personal letter, which I regret greatly to bring forward, but which I feel is necessary in the interest of an understanding of this matter. [Reading:]

     [Private and confidential.]

     British delegation,
     Paris, February 21, 1919.

My dear Bullitt:  I inclose a note of the sort of conditions upon which I personally think it would be possible for the allied Governments to resume once more normal relations with Soviet Russia.  You will understand, of course, that these have no official significance and merely represent suggestions of my own opinion.

     Yours, sincerely,

     P.H.  Kerr.

That was from Mr. Kerr, Lloyd George’s confidential secretary.  Mr. Kerr had, however, told me that he had discussed the entire matter with Mr. Lloyd George and Mr. Balfour, and therefore I thought he had a fair idea of what conditions the British were ready to accept.  The note inclosed reads as follows: 

     1.  Hostilities to cease on all fronts.

     2.  All de facto governments to remain in full control of the
     territories which they at present occupy.

3.  Railways and ports necessary to transportation between soviet Russia and the sea to be subject to the same regulations as international railways and ports in the rest of Europe.

4.  Allied subjects to be given free right of entry and full security to enable them to enter soviet Russia and go about their business there provided they do not interfere in politics.

     5.  Amnesty to all political prisoners on both sides:  full
     liberty to all Russians who have fought with the Allies.

6.  Trade relations to be restored between soviet Russia and the outside world under conditions which, while respecting the sovereignty of soviet Russia insure that allied supplies are made available on equal terms to all classes of the Russian people.

     7.  All other questions connected with Russia’s debt to the
     Allies, etc., to be considered independently after peace has
     been established.

     8.  All allied troops to be withdrawn from Russia as soon as
     Russian armies above quota to be defined have been
     demobilized and their surplus arms surrendered or destroyed.

You will see the American and British positions were very close together.