Russia at war 1941-1945

Until very recently, Molotov continued, the responsible leaders of France and Britain were happily contemplating the success of the ill-fated Munich settlement.

But what was the result? Germany wasn't satisfied with getting the Sudeten

country, and simply proceeded to liquidate one of the Slav countries,

Czechoslovakia... This just shows what non-interference produces... And, after that, the aggressor nations continued as before; in April, Germany grabbed Memel from

Lithuania, and Italy finished off Albania. Things went from bad to worse: in April, too, the head of the German State destroyed the Anglo-German naval agreement

and the Polish-German non-aggression pact... Such was Germany's answer to the

proposal of President Roosevelt, a proposal imbued with the spirit of peace.

He then referred to the new political and military treaty between Germany and Italy

which, he said, was "aggressive by its very nature".

In the past, these two countries pretended to be concerned with their joint battle against communism. Hence all the fuss about the Anti-Comintern Pact. Now the

camouflage has been dropped... Both the leaders and the press of the two countries openly talk about the new treaty being directed against the main European

democracies...

Although there were now some signs that the non-aggressive countries were at last

beginning to favour a front against aggression, it still remained to be seen how serious this change of heart really was. "It may well be that these countries may like to stop aggression in some areas, but will not interfere with aggression in other areas." And Molotov brought in that Stalin quote about the "chestnuts" and about the need to beware of provocateurs who might try to drag the Soviet Union into war.

He, clearly, continued to be very hostile to Germany, but was also extremely distrustful of Britain and France; but even so, he said, "There are some signs that the democratic countries have become aware of the utter collapse of their non-intervention policy, and of the need of creating a single front of the peaceful powers against aggression. The British-Polish Pact is a new element in Europe, all the more so as Germany has torn up her pact with Poland... And there is also a tendency among the non-aggressive European powers to seek the collaboration of the USSR in organising resistance to aggression." That was why, he said, the Soviet Government had accepted the proposal of Britain and France to open negotiations for the purpose of strengthening the relations between these three countries, and for organising a peace front against any further development of aggression.

"We entered into these negotiations with France and Britain in mid-April. These talks have not yet been concluded. But from the outset we realised that if there is really a desire to create an effective front of peace-loving countries against aggression, then the minimum conditions to be fulfilled are these:

1) There must be a purely defensive, but effective mutual assistance pact between Britain, France and the Soviet Union;

2) There must be guarantees by all three Powers to the countries bordering on the Soviet Union, and to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe;

3) There must be concrete agreements between the three about the immediate and

effective aid to be rendered in the event of aggression against either of them or against the countries guaranteed by them."