Au Pays Rouge

M. Jean Herbette, accompanied by Mme. Herbette and an embassy staff, left Paris for Moscow to take up his duties as first French Ambassador to Bolshevik Russia, successor to the last French Ambassador to Imperial Russia, M. Maurice Paleologue.

At the Gare de l'Est, the Bolshevik Ambassador and his wife, M. and Mme. Leonid Krassin, bade the party bon voyage and bon chance.

It was reported that the French Ambassador had been instructed by Premier Herriot to impress upon the Bolshevik Government the necessity of paying its Imperial debt to France. Hostile wags in Paris thought, if he persisted, il va revenir de suite du pays rouge.

For three days a train chugged Ambassador Jean Herbette to Moscow, where he was met by Chief Protocol Floninsky, the French Charge d'Affaires and a guard of honor and was conducted to the French Embassy to the strains of a military band playing the Toreador's March from Carmen. M. Herbette was amazed, expected the band to play the Marseillaise, but was told that foreign national anthems are forbidden in Russia. Bolshevik reporters called a few minutes later at the Embassy; to them the Ambassador said:

"The French people recognize the mutual sacrifices of both nations upon the altar of general peace. We are anxious to reestablish our mutual relationship. We are confronted with great difficulties, but I consider that there are no questions before us which will be hard to solve, should there be shown good will by both sides."

He told them that before leaving France, he had been almost mobbed by hundreds of poor men and women who had invested money in Russian bonds, and who would never consent to forfeit them. The Ambassador continued :

"The recognition of her debts by Russia would return the sympathies of these poor people to the Soviet Union."

A journalist was emboldened to remark that Russia could not pay her debts without first obtaining a loan. M. Herbette rejoined: "The recognition of her debts would help Russia to reestablish her credit."