10. Conflicts with the Allies during the Siberian Intervention
The goals of the British and French in Siberia (and Northern Russia) included the defeat of the Red Army and the removal of the new Bolshevik government under Lenin, and either the restoration of the Tsar as a constitutional monarchy or some other form of government friendly to the Allies. Through such an action they hoped for a reopening of an Eastern Front against the Central Powers and they expected their new ally, the United States, to join in actions against the Red Army. The Japanese on the other hand hoped to seize territory in Siberia and the Sakhalin Islands to create a barrier against their old enemy, Russia, and their home islands. Thus the Allies had different motivations for intervening in Siberia, which caused inevitable conflicts.
Although Wilson’s stated aims for the Siberian Intervention included the freeing of the Czech Legion and cooperation with the Allies the commander of the Siberian contingent, General William S. Graves, interpreted his orders as meaning he was to assist the Legion escape Russia and protect American property, but not actively engage the Red Army and supporting partisans other than in self-defense. Eventually the American forces in Siberia reached 8,000 men, and Graves’ refusal to use the large force to conduct an offensive against the Red Army or provide support for the much smaller British and French contingents led to confrontations with the commanders of those forces, as well as with those of the Japanese, and later even the Chinese, who also joined in the war.