‘Frigid but Unprovocative’: British Policy towards the USSR from the Nazi-Soviet Pact to the Winter War, 1939

Abstract

This article analyses British policy towards the USSR during the period from the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Pact in August 1939 until the Soviet attack on Finland at the end of November. It concludes that while British leaders had few fond feelings towards the USSR, at the same time they recognized that maintaining some sort of connection with the USSR was essential for British security. Accordingly, the British tried to open trade talks with the Soviets and also attempted to use the Turkish government as an intermediary. Anti-communist ideology during this period took a back seat to the demands of realpolitik.