Feeding the Hungry, P. C. Hiebert, 1929

olland Mennonite Relief to answer in person the communication of September 158 FEEDING THE HUNGRY 26, 1921, No. 8221 from the Peoples Commissariat for For- eign Affairs, Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic, signed by Mr. Koweljew, and conveyed to me by Mr. B. B. Janz, requesting a conference in Kharkow relative to relief work for the famine-stricken civilians in the Ukraine. I am at your service. Very sincerely yours, (Signed) Alvin J. Miller. American Mennonite Relief and Holland Mennonite Relief Janz, the Doctor, and I went to the Foreign Office, where I was introduced to Kowaljew, the Commissar of Foreign Affairs. My proposals were laid before the off- cials, who maintained a fine dignity, but were evidently extremely eager to open negotiations. Foreign representa- tives often came only as far as Moscow; but here was one who did them the honor of looking on their republic as a full-fledged government, a sovereign state, capable of transacting its own affairs, and not dependent wholly on Moscow. When I expressed mildly my appreciation of their evident energy and efficiency, they were almost as happily pleased as when I told the chauffeur who whirled me rapidly through the streets in a noisy automobile that he drove like a New Yorker. The most influential per- sonage at the Ukrainian Foreign Office, Mr. Zjhdonpusch- kin, explained that he was not a member of the Com- munist party. From others I learned that he had been so useful, almost indispensable, that the Government was not willing to release him from this position. He was a very capable man, educated, urbane, and wore a white linen collar, which made him somewhat conspicuous. He, together with one or two others from the Foreign Office, took me by automobile to the office of the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee. As the automobile was filled, the Doctor and Janz could not accompany me, much to my regret, and Janz was thus prevented from UNSEALING THE CLOSED DOOR 159 taking further part in the discussions. As Mr. Petrov, the President of the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee, had been ill for some time, his place was being filled by Mr. Yermostchenka, one of those next in office. Unlike Kamenev and Racovsky, he was a Slav, not well educated, and of a somewhat rough exterior. He was straightforward in manner, almost to bluntness, and seemed to have considerable ability. He spoke only Russian, and one of the Foreign Office personnel served as interpreter. The latter so loved to exercise or display his linguistic gifts that he usually expanded a sentence of mine into a whole paragraph, until Yermostchenka also became im- patient with the verbal gymnastics. Yermostchenka was extremely busy, but as I insisted on closing my negotia- tions within three days, he spent three hours with me going over the terms of the contract. As this contract was practically the same as the Riga agreement, and as the Government at Mo