Everything turned out well, especially considering the current situation. Attlee’s and Elvin’s speeches were quite all right. Wall, following Blum’s recent example, even raised the question of cooperation between England, France and the USSR for the cause of peace. I drew up my speech with the intention of emphasizing Anglo-Soviet relations and our attainments over 20 years, with only a few glances at issues of international politics. I bore it in mind that it is hardly desirable for us at this time to come out with general declarations about the course of Soviet foreign policy or to set ourselves up as initiators of an attack on fascist countries. Our position is clear to all. Let ‘Western democracies’ reveal their hand in the matter of the aggressors. What is the point of us pulling the chestnuts out of the fire for them? To fight together – by all means; to serve as cannon fodder for them – never!

This speech is an early harbinger of ‘isolation’ in Soviet policy and was clearly rephrased by Stalin in his famous ‘chestnuts’ speech of March 1939.