Russia at war 1941-1945

this was the famous speech in which he welcomed the disappearance of Poland, "that monster child of the Treaty of Versailles" [A phrase for which, in retrospect, he was to be taken to task in vol. I of the official History of the War, published in 1960.], and declared that not Germany, but Britain and France were now the "aggressor" nations.

It was this speech which marked, as it were, the zenith of Soviet-German "friendship"

and "solidarity"; first it dealt with Poland: "The rulers of Poland used to make a great fuss over the 'soundness' of their State and the 'might' of their Army. A short blow at Poland from the German Army, followed by one from the Red Army was enough to reduce to

nothing this monster child of the Treaty of Versailles."

He then dealt with the British and French guarantees to Poland, and remarked "amidst general laughter" that "no one knew to this day what kind of guarantees these were". He noted that the war in the West had not yet developed.

"But the whole concept of 'aggression' has changed. Today we cannot use the word in the same sense as three or four months ago. Now Germany stands for peace, while Britain and France are in favour of continuing the war. As you see, the roles have been

reversed."

[Emphasis added.]

He even improved on this performance by going on:

Now Britain and France, no longer able to fight for a restoration of Poland, are

posing as "fighters for democratic rights against Hitler-ism". The British Government now claims that its aim is, no more, or no less, if you please, "the destruction of Hitlerism". So it's an ideological war, a kind of medieval religious war.

One may like or dislike Hitlerism, but every sane person will understand that

ideology cannot be destroyed by force. It is therefore not only nonsensical but also criminal to pursue a war "for the destruction of Hitlerism" under the bogus banner of a struggle for "democracy". And what kind of democracy is it, anyway, with the French Communist Party in jail?

It was only when dealing with the liberation of the Western Ukraine and Western

Belorussia that Molotov did drop something like a hint that Germany, after all, still constituted a potential danger to the Soviet Union: "Our relations with Germany have radically improved. We are neutral. But we could not remain neutral in respect of Eastern Poland, since this involved acute problems of our country's security. [Emphasis added.]

Moreover, the populations of Western Belorussia and the Western Ukraine had been left to their fate, and this we could not allow."

Since the incorporation of these territories in the Soviet Union, Molotov said, the

population of the country had grown by some thirteen million people, over seven million Ukrainians, three million Belorussians, one million Poles and one million Jews. The war against Poland had cost the Soviet Union 734 dead and 1,862 wounded; and the Red

Army had captured from the Poles 900 guns, 10,000 machine-guns, 300 planes, one

million shells, etc.

He then spoke of the mutual assistance pacts with the Baltic States and, indeed,

contended that these did not, in any way, constitute interference in their internal affairs.

This, however, did not end his diplomatic survey. Next on the list was Finland.

Leningrad, Molotov said, was only twenty miles from the Finnish frontier, and could thus be shelled from Finnish territory. Lately there had been all kinds of absurd rumours. The Soviet Union was supposed to have demanded from Finland the transfer of Viborg and of the north side of Lake Ladoga. This was a lie.

[Precisely the territory the Russians were eventually to annex.]