DONATED BY Historical Research Club Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada 1 iii IV HISTORICAL FACTS D. M. ELCHESHEN, B.S.A. (Manitoba) (flMHTpo IjIbHHLUHH) 1975 Published by Historical Research Club Winnipeg Canada Standard Book No. 0-919212-82-4 Printed by D. W. Friesen & Sons Ltd. Altona, Manitoba VI To my wife Evhenia — a dedicated and inspiring co-worker. viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Great indebtedness is due to Janet A. Saunders for editing the manuscript, but the author alone is responsible for its imperfections. IX 7 Contents The inveterate Federalists I Hrushevsky 4 Early promoters of independence 5 Petlyura negotiated with regard to federation 7 Tyutyunyk dreamed of federation 7 Petlyura chose Russia g Progressives advocated federation 8 Hrushevsky rejected independence 9 Ukrainian awakening channelled into federation with Russia 10 Russian loyalists 12 Autonomy within Russia 13 Some representatives! 13 Russian apron strings were strong 14 Leaders led to federation 14 Federation, not independence 15 Hurrah for federation 1 The voice of independence shouted down 18 Petlyura wanted to serve Russia 19 The first Universal 21 The second Universal 25 Comment ->% The grand federation 28 Central Rada’s highest ideal: federation 29 Martos: Independence would hurt the proletariat 30 The “pride and glory” evaporated 31 The voice of independence silenced 32 Central Rada: Ukraine has to be a part of the Federative Russian Republic 33 Still clinging to federation with Russia 34 The third Universal 35 Prof. Doroshenko's comment 40 X Hopes of patriotic Ukrainians dashed 40 Still hoping for federation with Russia 42 A desperate attempt to establish a Russian federation 44 Central Rada tried to outbid the Bolsheviks .... 44 Bolsheviks refused to play ball 45 Central Rada applauded the red flag 46 Vynnychenko proposed a soviet system 46 The Germans had to show the way 47 Independence was not the socialist goal 48 “Independence is the only way to a real federation” 50 Federation — the guiding light 51 Jewish “Bund” opposed independence 53 The fourth Universal 54 Undignified procedure *.. 59 Fourth Universal: A foundation for socialism .. 60 A deceptive name 61 Incredible distortions 62 Gen. M. Hoffman: Father of the Ukrainian People’s Republic 64 A stab in the back of the Ukrainian nation 66 UPR and Bolshevik programs were hardly distinguishable 66 A fictitious federation 68 Historical facts cannot be erased 69 Monstrous lie perpetuated 70 Insurrection planned well in advance 71 Bolsheviks and Petlyura marched together 71 Insurrection planned even before the Hetman assumed power 73 Sichovi Striltsi joined the wreckers of the Ukrainian- State 73 XI A mini dictator 74 Phony otamans 75 Konovalets was ready to join the Bolsheviks .... 76 The valiant Hetman 77 Treacherous Konovalets 77 Germany instilled Ukrainian national consciousness, Central Rada instilled socialism 78 Defender of Russia g| Petlyura was prepared to federate 81 National or social revolution? 82 Definition ol the character of the 1917 revolution in Ukraine ^2 Regarding the role and the meaning of the national problem 9] Regarding the thesis that in 1917 there was a national-liberation, not inter-class struggle in Ukraine _ 94 The thesis regarding the restoration of Ukrainian statehood in 1917 97 Petlyura 104 Jewish assassin catapulted Petlyura into , sainthood 115 A pathetic fantasy 1 16 Plagiarist I 16 Petlyura's “thoughts” were not his own 1 18 A book of unabashed distortions The reason for the present fate of Ukraine 124 The Directory simply evaporated 128 Democracy without equal 128 Hallucinations 129 Socialists destroyed the Hetmancy and created chaos 131 CPR — a precursor of Bolshevism 132 Treatment of Bolbochan — a disgrace to the UPR 134 A unique republic 138 XII The greatest crime in our history 140 A prophetic guiding light 141 Ecclesiastics falsify history 142 The great pretender 145 Balamuty (confusion-mongers) 146 “UPR Army” — a deception 150 Petlyura destroyed the union 153 Petlyura consented to Polish suzerainty over Ukraine 155 Petlyura sealed the fate of Halychyna and torpedoed the union 157 Destructive dullards 159 UPR — a blind tool of Pol ish politics 160 The union became a curse 162 From traitor to saint 163 Excerpts from a letter to Petlyura 164 Dotsenko's opinion about his comrades 166 Nationalists condemned the Warsaw treaty 167 Halychyna was given to the Poles secretly 170 Simon Petlyura through the eyes of his collaborator 172 Political convention between Poland and Ukraine ... 176 Gen. Udovychenko tried to hide the truth 179 Sickening servility 180 Petlyura’s Warsaw treaty is kept alive 181 Unless Petlyura was an Indian Giver 184 The kruty Anniversary 185 Ukrainian People’s Republic — excluded God . 188 Moscow supplied money for the UVO? 189 The Ukrainian military movement and the organization of armed forces 190 Nationalists vs. Russophiles 249 Dignified and majestic 252 xiii The Inveterate Federalists The leftist writers of modern Ukrainian history have a propensity to distort, pervert, ignore, color and falsify historical facts in order to whitewash and elevate the socialist Ukrainian People’s Republic, also to exalt the venal socialist chieftains who destroyed the Hetman State and paved the way for Communism. A typical example of deliberate falsification of historical facts is the following quotation (p. 810) from the supposedly highly reputable Great Ukrainian History published in 1948 by Ivan Tyktor: “In answer to hetman Skoropadsky’s proclamation of the federation of Ukraine with Muscovy (November 14, 1918), an all-Ukrainian in- surrection erupted under the leadership of Simon Petlyura”. The authors of Great Ukrainian History were in- telligent enough to know that this statement was totally false, dishonest and malicious. In view of mountains of evidence to the contrary, only a perverted mind could con- coct the falsehood that the insurrection was precipitated by the Hetman’s unilateral declaration regarding federation. The insurrection, orchestrated by Lenin through C. Rakovsky and D. Manuilsky (see: D. Doroshenko, History of Ukraine, Vol. II, pp. 227-228), was neither all-Ukrainian nor national. It was launched by the socialist parties (some were openly pro-Bolshevik) posing under the name of “The Ukrainian National Union”. Falsely using the words “Ukrainian”, “national” in their name, these parties hypocritically claimed that they alone mirrored the in- terests of “all the Ukrainian people”. The same Great Ukrainian History on the same page records that “the insurrectional army of the Directory, recruited from amongst the peasants of feeble national con- sciousness whose appetites were whetted by the land reforms, overwhelmingly manifested its pro-Bolshevik sym- 1 pathies. Without having a proper understanding of the im- portance of state independence, they demanded above all else the parcelling out of large proprietors’ lands without compensation; when the Directory found it impossible to satisfy their demands immediately, they turned sharply against it. The rebel forces of Hryhoriev, Makhno and Zeleny embraced the “soviet” cause; afterwards the more leftist members of the government, led by Vynnychenko, came out with the proposal that Ukraine be proclaimed a soviet republic”. This indicates very clearly who was hiding behind the “all-Ukrainian national” label. Simon Petlyura and his fellow-traitors soon discovered that destroying the Ukrainian State was easy, but building another one in its place was far beyond their capabilities. Their “mighty” “all-Ukrainian national insurgent force” (for destruction) burst like a soap bubble in their faces and evaporated. The socialist “heroes” then fled to the capitalists . In their memoirs the conspirators themselves revealed that they were plotting the insurrection months before the Hetman was forced to announce the hramota concerning federation. Hence the hramota and the insurrection could not have related to each other as cause and effect. The hramota was not the cause but an excuse for the insurrec- tion — invented later as an afterthought. Only a moron would maintain that the Hetman con- cluded a genuine, valid federation with Russia. And morons don't stop to ask themselves: When and where was the in- itial conference concerning federation held? Who represented the Russian side? Who signed the preliminary agreement setting out the terms concerning representation, currency, armed forces, courts, postal matters, foreign relations, etc. which preceded the declaration of federation? When did the federation come into force? When was it ratified by competent authorities on both sides? There are 2 no answers to these questions because the Hetman's con- trahent never existed. Gen. M. Kapustyansky appraised the issue honestly, truthfully and succinctly: “The Hetman announced the federation only for the purpose of saving the Ukrainian statehood, after learning about the unfavourable attitude of the Western Allies. The French were about to land in Odessa. The Hetman, wishing to save the Ukrainian State at all costs, announced a Fictitious federation with a future non-Bolshevik government of Russia to win the Allied favour and help". (Gen. M. Kapustyansky , Pokhid Ukrainskoyi Armiyi, Munich, 1946, book 1, p. 14). For years the Ukrainian socialists were engrossed with the idea of federation with Russia — became saturated to capacity with federation. They were forever lapping it up. Federation with socialist Russia was their fondest dream, their highest ideal. It was closest to their hearts. They fought for it. Federation