весьма занимательная история от Boris Lvin
Когда в России в 1917 году вдруг случилась революция, американский президент Вудро Вильсон решил послать в Россию специальную комиссию для ознакомления с ситуацией и подкрепления духа. Состав комиссии очень долго утряхивался и согласовывался, в итоге ее председателем стал Элиху Рут. Пока суть да дело, до Петрограда комиссия добралась только в августе.Но, как пишет один исследователь, the Commission's appraisal of the Russian situation was often extremely naive.
И иллюстрирует свою мысль так:
See, e.g., the following document of Feb. 12, 1918, addressed to Lansing: "There was an informal meeting of the Special Diplomatic Mission to Russia in Mr. Root's rooms at New York last Saturday, February 9th. Before adjournment a resolution was passed unanimously by those present (Messrs. Root, Mott, Crane, Bertron and Basil Miles, Secretary) which Mr. Root requested me to convey to you as follows: - "Resolved: That the Special Diplomatic Mission of the United States to Russia: after careful consideration of all the complicated elements of the Russian situation are of the unanimous opinion that the Government of the United States should take no action looking to the official recognition of the Bolshevik Government by the Government of the United States until such time as it has been definitely ascertained that the Bolshevik Foreign Minister, Leon Trotsky, has repaid the $10 which he borrowed from Mr. Crane's cook"'
