end; the bounders had also announced their intention of overthrm'ing the Western democracies by world proletarian revolution The Allies couldn't allow that sort of thing to go unchallenged. It might give their own lower classes ideas.

Though they made a considerable investment in troop; and material, the Western Powers hoped to crush the Bolsheviks maiily by backing the forces that were already opposing the Red take—over.

These included the White Russians, who seemed to be doing quite well in the south, where they had recently captured Ekaterinodzr, the capital of the Kuban region. However, it was the Czech Corps thzt had done the most effective fighting so far. Formed of men fron the Slovakian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Czech Corrs had fought staunchly on the Russian side throughout the war. When the Peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed by Russia and Germaiy, in March 1918, the Czechs bad asked to be transferred to France in order to go on fighting for the Allied cause.

Their way westward, of course, was blocked by the Gcrman Army, so they had turned east, with the intention of sailing bac: into the fight from Vladivostok, at the Pacific end of Russia. In the pricess, they had been forced to battle the Bolsheviks. They had done s< with such astonishing success-within weeks they had seized control of tbout half the Trans-Siberian Railway, a certain Captain Gaial so distinguishing himself in the process that he had been promottd to general — that the Allies decided the Czechs would be of even mO‘e use in Russia than in France, and ordered them to remain and suppot the Whites until the Americans and Japanese could come to thei aid, through Vladivostok

The Allies never did come to the aid of the Czechs. Most othem were so busy keeping a suspicious eye on each other, they nevereven got past Vladivostok.

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