No. 47.

General Knox to War Office.

(Telegraphic.) Vladivostock, March 2, 1919.

FOLLOWING received from Omsk, 26th February :—

"Position of railway transport critical. Owing to absence of metals, coal, and spare parts, workshops on railways have ceased work. Passenger traffic continues only on Nikolaevski Railway, only military and food trains running on other railways.

"Money being printed on colossal scale, 14,000 workmen employed in Petrograd and Pensa day and night. 300 million notes of different valuations are said to be daily turned out. Peasants very hostile to Soviet's action, and riots resulted in many quarters.

"Discipline growing stricter in army. Return of shoulder straps and saluting being considered.

"In near future the Bolsheviks intend closing all churches. Three priests were recently drowned by Reds in Osa."