The Aims of the U.S.S.R. in Europe

Abstract

DURING recent war in Europe, people of Great Britain accepted as an axiom view that future peace of world must depend to a great extent on maintenance of good relations between Great Britain and United States on one hand, and Russia on other. In a sincere attempt to give practical expression to this view, they tried to get to know and understand Russia, and to strengthen ties of friendship in every possible way. Anglo-Soviet societies sprang up in towns and villages throughout country. People of all classes turned with enthusiasm to study of Russia and Russians, raising of funds for Russian war relief, holding of exhibitions devoted to Russian activities and organizing of meetings about Russia. In four years of Russia's war with Germany, thousands of columns of newspaper space and hundreds of hours of broadcasting time were devoted in Great Britain to Russian news and features. Never before had there been in Great Britain such a broad deep reservoir of goodwill towards Soviet Union. In circumstances, this was very understandable. What almost everyone forgot was that it takes two to make friends. There was a general and quite natural assumption in Great Britain that if we talked and wrote nicely about Russia, and raised money for Russia, and genuinely admired Russia and tried to meet Russians whenever possible and get to know them, Russians would do same about us, and that in such a way goal of mutual friendship would be gained. Unfortunately, there was never slightest foundation for this view. It is true that common people of Russia would have liked very much to learn about us during war, to mix with us, and do their share in building up a fast friendship. They would have responded warmly to any lead along these lines. But during whole war period, Soviet authorities did all in their power to restrict contacts between Russians and British to an absolute minimum, and to prevent any wide knowledge of Great Britain from getting through to Russian people. They largely succeeded in their aim. As one correspondent put it, the only thing that's wrong with Anglo-Soviet relations is that there aren't any. The war-time belief, widely cherished in Great Britain, that AngloRussian relations were steadily improving on a basis of mutuality and reciprocity was an illusion. The facts are very different. At no time was there any real fraternization in Moscow between Britons and Russians, and responsibility for this was entirely Russian. The Russian people knew that close association with foreigners was frowned