isaac-deutscher-the-prophet-armed-trotsky-1879-1921

THE DRAMA OF BREST LITOVSK 351
soldiers towards the revolution gave to that interference an
unscrupulous and spiteful appearance. In the circumstances
the allied embassies and military missions tended from the
beginning to become participants in the Russian civil war.'
Trotsky tried to counteract this trend and to prevent the British,
the French, and the Americans from committing themselves
irrevocably. With Lenin's consent he did what he could to
impress on them that it was in their interest that Russia should
not feel completely abandoned and driven to sign any peace
with Germany, regardless of terms. To this consideration the
Entente paid little or no attention. Its ambassadors maintained
unofficial contacts with Trotsky thrrmgh junior members of
their sta!E, Captain Sadoul of the French military mission and
Bruce Lockhart of the British Embassy. It was to these officials,
and to Colonel Robins of the American Red Cross, that Trotsky
made his proposals and protests; and through them he kept the
allies informed about the preliminary armistice talks. Each of the
allied officials in touch with him was converted to Trotsky's view
and hopefully went to convert his superiors; but nothing came
of it. '\Ve persist in denying that the earth turns,' so Sadoul, at
this time still an unrepentant 'social patriot', wrote to Albert
Thomas, one of the chief