“We then went to dinner, all together, including the whole staff of nearly 100 persons.  The dinner presented one of the most remarkable pictures ever seen.  The Prince of Bavaria presided.  Next to the Prince sat the leader of the Russian delegation, a Jew called Joffe, recently liberated from Siberia; then came the generals and the other delegates.  Apart from this Joffe, the most striking personality in the delegation is the brother-in-law of the Russian Foreign Minister, Trotski, a man named Kameneff, who, likewise liberated from prison during the Revolution, now plays a prominent part.  The third delegate is Madame Bizenko, a woman with a comprehensive past.  Her husband is a minor official; she herself took an early part in the revolutionary movement.  Twelve years ago she murdered General Sacharow, the governor of some Russian city, who had been condemned to death by the Socialists for his energy.  She appeared before the general with a petition, holding a revolver under her petticoat.  When the general began to read she fired four bullets into his body, killing him on the spot.  She was sent to Siberia, where she lived for twelve years, at first in solitary confinement, afterwards under somewhat easier conditions; she also owes her freedom to the Revolution.  This remarkable woman learned French and German in Siberia well enough to read them, though she cannot speak them, not knowing how the words should be pronounced.  She is the type of the educated Russian proletariat.  Extremely quiet and reserved, with a curious determined set of the mouth, and eyes that flare up passionately at times.  All that is taking place around her here she seems to regard with indifference.  Only when mention is made of the great principles of the International Revolution does she suddenly awake, her whole expression alters; she reminds one of a beast of prey seeing its victim at hand and preparing to fall upon it and rend it.

“After dinner I had my first long conversation with Hr.  Joffe.  His whole theory is based on the idea of establishing the right of self-determination of peoples on the broadest basis throughout the world, and trusting to the peoples thus freed to continue in mutual love.  Joffe does not deny that the process would involve civil war throughout the world to begin with, but he believes that such a war, as realising the ideals of humanity, would be justified, and its end worth all it would cost.  I contented myself with telling him that he must let Russia give proof that Bolshevism was the way to a happier age; when he had shown this to be so, the rest of the world would be won over to his ideals.  But until his theory had been proved by example he would hardly succeed in convincing people generally to adopt his views.  We were ready to conclude a general peace without indemnities or annexations, and were thoroughly agreed to leave the development of affairs in Russia thereafter to the judgment of the Russian Government itself.  We should also be willing to learn something