Russia at war 1941-1945

In this case, Poland and Rumania must make

use of all their armed forces, and the Soviet Union will participate by as much as 100 per cent of the forces employed against Germany by Britain and France... In

this case, an indispensable condition of the Soviet Union's participation is that Britain and France should immediately declare war on the aggressor. Moreover, the Soviet Union can take part in such a war only if the British and French

Governments come to a clear understanding with Poland and Rumania (and, if

possible, with Lithuania) about the free passage of the Soviet armed forces through the Vilno Bulge, Galicia and Rumania.

3) IF THE AGGRESSOR ATTACKS THE SOVIET UNION BY MAKING USE

OF THE TERRITORIES OF FINLAND, ESTONIA OR LATVIA. In this case

France and Britain must not

only declare war on the aggressor (or the bloc of aggressors) "but must also start active and immediate military operations against the main aggressor", putting into operation seventy per cent of the forces employed by the Soviet Union (the Soviet Union would put into operation 136 divisions). "Since Poland is bound by heragreements with Britain and France, she must intervene against Germany, and

must also, by agreement between herself on the one hand and Britain and France on the other, give free passage to our troops through the Vilno Bulge and Galicia...

Should Rumania be drawn into the war, a similar agreement should be made

between Rumania, France and Britain concerning the free passage of Soviet troops

across Rumanian territory."

[ IVOVSS, vol. I, pp. 169-70, quoting AVP SSSR (Soviet Foreign Policy Archives).]

According to the Soviet version Admiral Drax thanked General Shaposhnikov for

outlining his plan, but it was not accepted by the British and French, and there were no serious British or French counter-proposals. Instead, both the French and the British made the most of the "Polish obstacle". The British had, indeed, no intention of bringing pressure to bear on the Polish Government.

The attitude of General Doumenc, head of the French Mission, was rather different:

"Twice he cabled the French War Ministry saying he intended to send General Valin, a member of the Mission, to Warsaw, in order to obtain the Polish Government's consent.

But the result was only a telegram from the French War Ministry to the French Military Attaché in Moscow proposing to postpone Valin's visit to Warsaw."

[ IVOVSS, vol. I, p. 170 quoting a French document originally captured by the Germans, and found in the German Foreign Office archives by the Russians. This episode is

confirmed by Paul Reynaud in La France a sauvé l'Europe (Paris, 1947), vol. I, p. 580.]

All that the French and British found to propose, according to the Soviet History, was that the Soviet Union should declare war on Germany in the event of a German attack on Poland, but should take no military action before the German troops reached the Soviet borders. "All this shows that they were much less interested in helping Poland than in getting the Soviet Union involved in a war against Germany."

[Ibid., p. 170. ]

Already in June 1939 the governments of Latvia and Estonia, frightened of both Germany and Russia, had, under German pressure, concluded "friendship pacts" with Germany.