Russia at war 1941-1945

[The White House Papers of Harry Hopkins, by Robert E. Sherwood. Volume I, pp. 327-8 (London, 1949).]

Then came his account of Hopkins's first meeting with Stalin:

After Hopkins's introductory remarks to the effect that the President believed that the most important thing to be done in the world today was to defeat Hitler and

Hitlerism, and that he therefore wished to aid the Soviet Union, Stalin spoke.

He welcomed Hopkins to the Soviet Union and then, describing Hitler and

Germany, spoke of the necessity of there being a minimum moral standard between

all nations... The present leaders of Germany knew no such moral standard and

represented an anti-social force in the world today...

"Our views coincide," he concluded.

Then, turning to Hopkins's question what Russia would require that the USA could

deliver immediately, and, second, what would be her requirements on the basis of a long war, Stalin listed in the first category anti-aircraft guns of medium calibre, together with ammunition— altogether 20,000 pieces of anti-aircraft artillery, large and small. Second, he asked for large-size machine-guns for the defence of his cities.

Third, he said he needed a million rifles; "if the calibre was the same as the one used in the Red Army, then he had plenty of ammunition."

In the second category, he mentioned first, high-octane aviation gasolene, second, aluminium for the construction of aeroplanes and, third, the other items already

mentioned in the list already presented to our government in Washington.

And then came this striking remark from Stalin: "Give us antiaircraft guns and the aluminium and we can fight for three or four years."

After a long meeting with Molotov, which was chiefly devoted to a somewhat

inconclusive discussion about Japan, Molotov suggesting, in the course of it, that the United States give Japan "a warning" against attacking Russia, Hopkins had a second meeting with Stalin.

Since the outbreak of the war, Stalin said, the number of German divisions at the Russian front had been increased from 175 to 232, and he thought Germany could mobilise 300.

Russia had only 180 divisions at the beginning, but had 240 now, and could mobilise 350.

Stalin stated that he can mobilise that many by the time the spring offensive begins in May 1942... He is anxious to have as many of his divisions as possible in contact with the enemy, because the troops then learn that Germans can be killed and are

not supermen... He wants to have as many seasoned troops as possible for the great campaign next spring.

He made much of "insurgent troops" [i.e. partisans] fighting behind the enemy lines, and claimed that there had been no mass surrenders of troops on either side.

He thought the Germans would soon have to go on the defensive themselves, but

nevertheless, admitted that while the Russians had a large number of tanks and