Brest-Litovsk Peace Conference (1917-1918); Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921
The retreat of Krassnov's Cossacks enabled us to get control of the
radio station at Tsarskoye-Selo. We immediately wirelessed the news of
our victory over Kerensky's forces. Our foreign friends informed us
subsequently that the German wireless station refused, on orders from
above, to receive this wireless message.
[Footnote: I cite here the text of this wireless message:
"Selo Pulkovo. General Staff 2:10 P. M. The night of October 30th-31st
will go down in history. Kerensky's attempt to march
counter-revolutionary forces upon the capital of the revolution has
received a decisive check. Kerensky is retreating, we are advancing. The
soldiers, sailors and workingmen of Petrograd have shown that they can
and will, gun in hand, affirm the will and power of proletarian
democracy. The bourgeoisie tried to isolate the army of the revolution
and Kerensky attempted to crush it by Cossackism. Both have been
frustrated.
"The great idea of the reign of a workingmen's and peasants' democracy
united the ranks of the army and hardened its will. The whole country
will now come to understand that the Soviet government is not a passing
phenomenon, but a permanent fact of the supremacy of the workers,
soldiers and peasants. Kerensky's repulse was the repulse of the middle
class, the bourgeoisie and the Kornilovites. Kerensky's repulse means
the affirmation of the people's rights to a free, peaceful life, to
land, food and power. The Pulkovsky division, by their brilliant charge,
is strengthening the cause of the proletarian and peasant revolution.
There can be no return to the past. There is still fighting, obstacles
and sacrifice ahead of us. But the way is open and victory assured.
"Revolutionary Russia and the Soviet Government may well be proud of
their Pulkovsky division, commanded by Colonel Walden. May the names of
the fallen never be forgotten. All honor to the fighters for the
revolution--the soldiers and the officers who stood by the People! Long
live revolutionary and Socialist Russia! In the name of the Council of
People's Commissaries, L. Trotzky, Oct. 31st, 1917."]
The first reaction of the German authorities to the events of October
was thus one of fear--fear lest these events provoke disturbances in
Germany itself. In Austria-Hungary, part of our telegram was accepted
and, so far as we can tell, has been the source of information for all
Europe upon the ill-starred attempt of Kerensky to recover his power and
its miserable failure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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