Senator Knox.  You say you started in February.  What time in February?

Mr. Bullitt.  I left on the 22d day of February.

Senator Knox.  Did you know at that time, or have you ascertained since, whether a secret mission had or not been dispatched from Paris, that is, by the President himself; a man by the name of Buckler, who went to Russia a few days before you did?

Mr. Bullitt.  Mr. W.H.  Buckler, Mr. Henry White’s half brother.  He was an attache of the American embassy in London.  He was ordered from there to go, about the 1st of January, to Stockholm, to confer with Litvinov, who had been the Ambassador of the Soviet Government to London—­the British had allowed him to stay there without actually recognizing his official status, and had dealt with him.

Mr. Buckler there conferred with Litvinov, who made various propositions and representations to him which Mr. Buckler at once telegraphed back to Paris, and which were considered so important by the President that the President read them in extenso to the council of ten on the morning of January 21.  I regret that I have no actual copy of those proposals by Litvinov, or of Buckler’s telegrams.  At that time there was a discussion taking place in regard to Russia which had extended over a couple of weeks, a discussion of the utmost interest, in the council of ten.  I happen to have the minutes of the council for January 16, when this Russian question was taken up, which I shall be glad to read, if the Senators should be interested, and also the minutes of the council of ten on January 21, at which meeting the Prinkipos proposal was decided upon.  The Buckler meeting with Litvinov was what eventually swung the meeting in favor of Prinkipos, the suggestion for which had been made by Mr. Lloyd George.  No; that is slightly incorrect.  Mr. Lloyd George had suggested that representatives of the various Russian governments and factions should be brought to Paris.

COUNCIL OF TEN DISCUSSES RUSSIA

Notes on conversations held in the office of M. Pichon at the quai D’ORSAY, on January 16, 1919—­preliminary discussion regarding the situation in Russia.

Mr. Lloyd George commenced his statement setting forth the information in the possession of the British Government regarding the Russian situation, by referring to the matter which had been exposed recently in L’Humanite.  He stated that he wished to point out that there had been a serious misconception on the part of the French Government as to the character of the proposal of the British Government.  The British proposal did not contemplate in any sense whatever, a recognition of the Bolsheviki Government, nor a suggestion that Bolshevik delegates be invited to attend the Conference.