Japan:  Baron Makino, H.E.M.  Matsui, M. Saburi.

     Interpreter, Prof.  P.J.  Mantoux.

SITUATION IN RUSSIA

     M. Clemenceau said they had met together to decide what
     could be done in Russia under present circumstances.

President Wilson said that in order to have something definite to discuss, he wished to take advantage of a suggestion made by Mr. Lloyd George and to propose a modification of the British proposal.  He wished to suggest that the various organized groups in Russia should be asked to send representatives, not to Paris, but to some other place, such as Salonika, convenient of approach, there to meet such representatives as might be appointed by the Allies, in order to see if they could draw up a program upon which agreement could be reached.

Mr. Lloyd George pointed out that the advantage of this would be that they could be brought straight there from Russia through the Black Sea without passing through other countries.

     M. Sonnino said that some of the representatives of the
     various Governments were already here in Paris, for example,
     M. Sazonov.  Why should these not be heard?

President Wilson expressed the view that the various parties should not be heard separately.  It would be very desirable to get all these representatives in one place, and still better, all in one room, in order to obtain a close comparison of views.

Mr. Balfour said that a further objection to Mr. Sonnino’s plan was that if M. Sazonov was heard in Paris, it would be difficult to refuse to hear the others in Paris also, and M. Clemenceau objected strongly to having some of these representatives in Paris.

     M. Sonnino explained that all the Russian parties had some
     representatives here, except the Soviets, whom they did not
     wish to hear.

     Mr. Lloyd George remarked that the Bolshevists were the very
     people some of them wished to hear.

     M. Sonnino continuing said that they had heard M. Litovnov’s
     statements that morning.

That was the statement that Litvinov had made to Buckler which the President had read to the council of ten that morning.

[Continuing reading.]

     The Allies were now fighting against the Bolshevists who
     were their enemies, and therefore they were not obliged to
     hear them with the others.

     Mr. Balfour remarked that the essence of President Wilson’s
     proposal was that the parties must all be heard at one and
     the same time.