ongest of all arguments, and that
the Central Powers were quite capable of taking away the Russian
provinces. He had several times tried to bridge a way for Kuehlmann
during the conference, telling him it was not a question of the right
of self-determination of the peoples in the occupied districts, but of
sheer brutal annexation, and that he must give way to force. He would
never relinquish his principles, and would never give his consent to
this interpretation of the right of self-determination. The Germans
must say straight out what were the boundaries they demanded, and he
would then make clear to all Europe that it was a brutal annexation
and nothing else, but that Russia was too weak to oppose it. Only the
Moon Sound Islands seemed to be more than he could swallow. Secondly,
and this is very characteristic, Trotski said he could never agree to
our making peace with the Ukraine, since the Ukraine was no longer in
the hands of its Rada, but in the hands of his troops. It was a part
of Russia, and to make peace with it would be interfering in the
internal affairs of Russia itself. The fact of the matter seems to be
that about nineteen days ago the Russian troops really did enter
Kieff, but were subsequently driven out, the Rada once more coming
into power as before. Whether Trotski was unaware of this latter
development or purposely concealed the truth I cannot say for certain,
but it seems as if the former were the case.

"The last hope of coming to an understanding with Petersburg has
vanished. An appeal from the Petersburg Government to the German
soldiers has been discovered in Berlin, inciting them to revolt, to
murder the Kaiser and their generals, and unite with the soviets.
Following on this came a telegram from Kaiser Wilhelm to Kuehlmann
ordering him to terminate negotiations at once, by demanding, besides
Courland and Lithuania, also the unoccupied territories of Livonia and
Esthonia--all without regard to the right of self-determination of the
peoples concerned.

"The dastardly behaviour of these Bolsheviks renders negotiation
impossible. I cannot blame Germany for being incensed at such
proceedings, but the instructions from Berlin are hardly likely to be
carried out. We do not want to drag in Livonia and Esthonia.

"_February 8, 1918._--This evening the peace with Ukraine is to be
signed. The first peace in this terrible war. I wonder if the Rada is
still really sitting at Kieff? Wassilko showed me a