Stalin Digital Archive
Yale University Press
Yale University Press
  • Search
  • Browse
  • My SDA
    • Private Groups
    • Personal Folders
    • Private Group Folders
  • Resources
    • Stalin Digital Archive
    • User Guide
    • FAQ
    • Editor Projects
    • Private Group Tutorials
    • Institutions & Associations
    • Further Reading
  • About SDA
    • Overview & Donors
    • Collections
    • Editorial Board
    • Transliteration Policy
    • Publishers
    • News & Updates
RegisterLog In
Select documents to open Close
CancelOk

Login Required

A personal account is required to access tags, annotations, bookmarks, and all of the other features associated with the MySDA.

Username: (email address)
Password:
Forgot password?
Log In
  • Purchase a subscription
  • Renew your subscription
  • Need help? Contact us
Not registered?
Register for your MySDA account
Login
Cancel

Your subscription has expired.

Click here to renew your subscription

Once your subscription is renewed, you will receive a new activation code that must be entered before you can log in again

Close
Next Document > < Previous DocumentReturn3 September
You must login to do that
Cancel
You must login to do that
Cancel
You must login to do that
Cancel
You must login to do that
Cancel
Save to my libraryClose
3 September
-or-
Cancel Save
Print Close
(Max. 10 Pages at a time)


By checking this box, I agree to all terms and conditions governing print and/or download of material from this archive.
CancelPrint
Export Annotation Close
CancelExport
Annotation Close
Cancel
Export Citation Close
CancelExport
Citation Close
Cancel
Close
CancelOk
Report Close
Please provide the text of your complaint for the selected annotation


CancelReport
/ -1
Stalin Digital Archive
Back to Search
Stalin digital archive
Back to Search
Table of Contents
The Complete Maisky Diaries: Volume 1
  • 27 October 1937
  • 12 July
  • 18 July
  • 9 August
  • 30 October
  • 31 October
  • 1 November
  • 4 November
  • 5 November
  • 6 November
  • 7 November
  • 9 November
  • 10 November
  • 12 November
  • 15 November
  • 16 November
  • 17 November
  • 18 November
  • 23 November
  • 24 November
  • 25 November
  • 27 November
  • 28 November
  • 29 November
  • 1 December
  • 5 December
  • 6 December
  • 11 December
  • 13 December
  • 16 December
  • 17 December
  • 18 December
  • 19 December
  • 20 December
  • 24 December
  • 27 December
  • 31 December
  • 8 January
  • 9 January
  • 15 January
  • 18 January
  • 25 January
  • 26 January
  • 28 January
  • 1 February
  • 4 February
  • 6 February
  • 10 February
  • 12 February
  • 14 February
  • 15 February
  • 20 February
  • 21 February
  • 22 February
  • 28 February
  • 1 March (1)
  • 1 March (2)
  • 2 March
  • 4 March
  • 5 March
  • 6 March
  • 7 March
  • 8 March
  • 9 March
  • 11 March
  • 12 March
  • 13 March
  • 14 March
  • 15 March
  • 16 March
  • 17 March
  • 18 March
  • 19 March
  • 20 March
  • 21 March
  • 22 March
  • 23 March
  • 3 June
  • 5 June
  • 6 June
  • 12 June
  • 15 June
  • 16 June
  • 17 June
  • 19 June
  • 27 June
  • 2 July
  • 8 July
  • 9 July
  • 7 September
  • 4 November
  • 6 November
  • 8 November
  • 13 November
  • 14 November
  • 15 November
  • 14 December
  • 16 December
  • 20 January
  • 21 January
  • 26 January
  • 28 January
  • 29 January
  • 30 January
  • 31 January
  • 10 February
  • 8 March
  • 9 March
  • 10 March
  • 28 March
  • 2 April
  • 3 April
  • 8 April
  • 3 May
  • 7 May
  • 10 May
  • 22 May
  • 26 May
  • 28 May
  • 12 July
  • 1 December
  • 10 January
  • 16 January
  • 17 February
  • 12 March
  • 10 April
  • 16 April
  • 17 April
  • 18 April
  • 21 April
  • 24 May
  • 9 June
  • 15 June
  • 16 June
  • 28 June
  • 1 July
  • 27 July
  • 29 July
  • 29 July
  • 1 August
  • 10 August
  • 23 August
  • 25 August
  • 12 September
  • 14 September
  • 19 September
  • 27 October
  • 6 November
  • 16 November
  • 17 November
  • 18 November
  • 24 November
  • 1 December
  • 4 December
  • 12 December
  • 14 December
  • 4 January
  • 15 January
  • 20 January
  • 25 January
  • 27 January
  • 28 January
  • 7 February
  • 11 February
  • 25 February
  • 1 March
  • 8 March
  • 11 March
  • 22 March
  • 23 March
  • 29 March
  • 31 March
  • 12 April
  • 14 April
  • 10 May
  • 4 August
  • 6 August
  • 7 August
  • 10 August
  • 11 August
  • 15 August
  • 16 August
  • 17 August
  • 20 August
  • 24 August
  • 26 August
  • 27 August
  • 28 August
  • 29 August
  • 30 August
  • 31 August
  • 1 September
  • 2 September
  • 3 September
  • 4 September
  • 5 September
  • 7 September
  • 8 September
  • 11 September
  • PS 1 October
  • 12 September
  • 13 September
  • 14 September
  • 15 September
  • 16 September
  • 18 September
  • 19 September
  • 20 September
  • 21 September
  • 22 September
  • 23 September
  • 24 September
  • 25 September
  • 26 September
  • 27 September
  • 28 September
  • 29 September
  • 30 September
  • 1 October
  • 6 October
  • 11 October
  • 13 October
  • 15 October
  • 17 October
  • 19 October
  • 20 October
  • 22 October
  • 25 October
  • 26 October
  • 27 October
  • 28 October
  • 30 October
  • 31 October
  • 1 November
  • 3 November
  • 9 November
  • 15 November
  • 16 November
  • 17 November
  • 25 November
  • 27 November
  • 7 December
  • 11 December
  • 13 December
  • 18 December
  • 19 December
< Previous document Next document >
© 2025
3 September
    • Export Citation
    • Export Annotation
View:

By Liakhovetsky, Ivan Mikhailovich (Maisky)

The Complete Maisky Diaries: Volume 1

Image view
  • Print
  • Save
  • Share
  • Cite
Translation Transcription
Translation
/ 2
  • Translation
  • Transcription
  • Print
  • Save
  • Share
  • Cite
3 September
An exceptionally important conversation took place yesterday in Moscow between M.M. [Litvinov] and Payart, the French chargé d’affaires.
Payart came at Bonnet’s behest with an official inquiry: how could the USSR come to the aid of Czechoslovakia in the event of German aggression, given the reluctance of Poland and Rumania to allow Soviet troops and aircraft to pass through their territory?
M.M. noted with typical acidity that in fact the USSR should pose a similar question to France, since France’s obligations to Czechoslovakia are unconditional, while those of the USSR would come into force only once France implements hers.
Payart either could not or would not give a clear answer to M.M.’s question, but M.M. continued unperturbed.
Provided France fulfils its obligations, the USSR is also determined to carry out its obligations under the Soviet–Czech pact. Rumania’s unwillingness to let Soviet troops pass through its territory could, most probably, be overcome, should the League of Nations recognize Germany as the aggressor and Czechoslovakia as the victim of aggression. To Payart’s comment that the League of Nations could hardly be expected to reach a unanimous decision on this issue, M.M. noted that even if only a majority of League members voted for this formula (especially if they included the great powers), the moral effect of the decision would be immense and would exert the necessary influence on Rumania, which, he hoped, would itself vote together with the majority. In view of the sluggishness of the machinery of the League of Nations, M.M. would consider it desirable to start preparing for such a move as soon as possible, using provisions of Article 11 of the Covenant.


Page 436

Article 11 established that ‘any war or threat of war’ which affected any member of the League was considered to be of concern to the whole League and required the organization to convene and discuss proper measures to safeguard the peace.


Page 320

M.M. further suggested that it was senseless to speak of the military defence of Czechoslovakia by three countries (France, the USSR and Czechoslovakia) without preliminary preparation of the respective military plans. This requires negotiations between the general staffs of the three armies. The USSR was prepared to take part in such negotiations.
The crucial thing at the moment, however, was to prevent the outbreak of war. In this regard, M.M. thinks that the proposals made by him in his interview of 17 March, right after the Anschluss of Austria, are now assuming particular significance. All peace-loving powers of the world are to get together to consult and seek measures against aggression. A joint declaration made by Great Britain, France and the USSR, with the guaranteed moral support of Roosevelt, could do more than anything else to prevent violent acts on the part of Hitler.
Unfortunately, we have very little time, and we must act quickly.
M.M. suggested that Aleksandrovsky
Sergei Sergeevich Aleksandrovsky, Soviet ambassador to Czechoslovakia, 1933–39; dismissed from the Foreign Ministry in 1939; associated with the partisan movement during the war, he was arrested in 1943, accused of espionage for Germany and shot. Later rehabilitated.
should make the contents of this talk known to Krofta.
So, our position in the Czechoslovak crisis has been set out with absolute clarity.
This is vital information, confirming a clear decision taken in support of fulfilling the commitments to Czechoslovakia under the Franco-Soviet pact. It was indeed confirmed in Litvinov’s report to Aleksandrovsky about his conversations with Payart; V. Mal’tsev et al. (eds), Dokumenty po istorii myunkhenskogo sgovora 1937–1939 (Moscow, 1979), No. 108; see also Nos. 148 & 163. The decision was sufficiently unequivocal and decisive for Maisky to feel confident in pursuing unauthorized initiatives. The approach to Payart was most certainly sanctioned by Stalin, vacationing in the Caucasus, who had been sounded out by Litvinov a day earlier; see Steiner, ‘Soviet Commissariat’, p. 763. Indeed, in J. Haslam, ‘The Soviet Union and the Czechoslovakian crisis of 1938’, Journal of Contemporary History,14/3 (1979), p. 452, the author acutely observes that an article in Pravda during the crisis, which affirmed that Litvinov’s policy represented ‘the unanimous opinion of the whole Soviet people’, hinted that the opinion might not have been ‘unanimous’ earlier.
We are ready to offer armed assistance to Czechoslovakia, if the others are ready to fulfil their duty. Will they rise to the demands of this terribly serious historical moment? We’ll see. But in any case, even if Czechoslovakia should still suffer ruin and Germany becomes the hegemonic power in Western Europe, responsibility for this cannot be laid at the door of the USSR.
Transcription
/ 0
  • Translation
  • Transcription
  • Print
  • Save
  • Share
  • Cite
           
Document Details
Document Title3 September
AuthorLiakhovetsky, Ivan Mikhailovich (Maisky)
RecipientN/A
RepositoryN/A
ID #N/A
DescriptionN/A
Date1938 Sep 3
AOC VolumeThe Complete Maisky Diaries: Volume 1
Tags
Annotations
Bookmarks

  • Yale
  • Terms & Conditions
    |
  • Privacy Policy & Data Protection
    |
  • Contact
    |
  • Accesssibility
    |
  • Copyright 2018 Yale University
  • Connect with us:
  • Yale
  • Yale