Британские военные деятели о Белом движении на Северо-Западе России
British men of arms about White movement in the Northwest of Russia

Summary/Abstract: The article focuses on the little-known to Russian historiography memoirs which were written by UK men of arms who had participated in the intervention in the Northwest of Russia. The intervention of foreign countries was one of the key factors during the course of the events of the Civil War in the region. Representatives of the Allied powers, first of all, the UK had been supporting the White movement in lots of ways, but in fact the unity of purpose and a genuine understanding between the allies could not have been reached. One of the main difficulties was the inability to find an appropriate way to solve the question of the independence of Baltic States and Finland. Mutual resentment and accusations subsequently have been reflected in the memoirs. The White movement and its leaders were harshly criticized in the memoirs of the head of an Allied Military Mission to the Baltic H. Gough published in 1950s. However, their author remains silent about those subjects that could have negatively characterized his own actions against the Whites. Gough was relieved of his duties as a head of the Allied Mission due to his inability to establish normal relations with the White movement. Gough was replaced by General R. Haking. The memoirs of A. Agar («Baltic Episode. A Classic of Secret Service in Russian Waters») are also highly critical towards the White movement. The author of the article also takes into account the opinion about the Whites of W. Cowan, the chief commander of the Allied squadron in the Baltic. British military memoirists were unable to create a deliberated and objective picture of the White movement in the Northwest of Russia due to the prejudices of their opinions. However their perception of the Whites has played an important role in creating the image of the White movement in the West.

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