16. Americans often confronted partisans armed with American weapons
Although General Graves resisted as long as he possibly could, orders from Washington that he supply arms to White resisters of the Red Army from Washington forced him to comply. Graves was concerned that the arms would end up in the hands of independents such as Semenov, who would use them at the behest of their Japanese benefactors and carve out personal kingdoms in Siberia, aligned with the Japanese. When a trainload of American weapons was sent, guarded by American troops and en route to Irkutsk, where it was to be delivered to the White leader Admiral Alexander Kolchak, it was stopped by troops under Semenov at Chita.
Semenov demanded that the American escort turn over the shipment of 15,000 rifles, and the Americans, with fifty men to guard and protect the shipment, wired to General Graves at Vladivostok for instructions. They were ordered not to surrender the shipment, and to defend themselves if they were attacked or if there was an attempt to seize the rifles by force. The American train was surrounded by armored trains on both sides at the railyard, and Cossacks were stationed nearby. Semenov gave the Americans a thirty hour deadline to comply with his demands or be massacred. Ten hours after the deadline passed Semenov relented and allowed the train to go through.