Indeed, Seeds and others told C[omrade] Molotov on 1 July that they accepted the naming of countries to be guaranteed by the tripartite bloc, but not in the basic agreement itself – only in a secret appendix.

Then two new complications emerged:

(1) The British and the French have demanded that three more countries – Holland, Luxembourg and Switzerland – be added to the list of guaranteed states. Thus, the number of the tripartite bloc’s ‘children’ has grown to eleven at the last minute! True, our partners did mention Holland and Switzerland at the meeting of 21 June, but only now have they raised the matter in all seriousness.

(2) We suggested defining the term ‘indirect aggression’ and proposed our formula, which the British and the French objected to.

On 3 July C[omrade] Molotov gave our reply to the proposal made by our partners.

We agreed to name the guaranteed countries in an appendix, but expressed our surprise at the fact that, while all previous negotiations had been based on there being only eight ‘children’, the number had now suddenly leapt to eleven. Being willing to compromise, we were ready to include Holland and Switzerland in the list of guaranteed countries, but on one condition: since their inclusion meant an extension of our obligations, we considered ourselves justified in demanding a corresponding extension of the guarantees of our security, in the form of mutual assistance pacts to be concluded between the Soviet Union on the one side and Turkey and Poland on the other. In addition we proposed, without detriment to the immediacy of aid in the cases stipulated by the pact, to hold a consultation of the ‘big three’ whenever the probability arose of the obligations of mutual assistance needing to be implemented. We also proposed a regular exchange of information concerning the international situation and an outline of the avenues of mutual diplomatic support in the interests of peace. Finally, we firmly insisted that it was essential to find a satisfactory formula for ‘indirect aggression’.

Now it’s the turn of the British and the French. Needless to say, a break of several days will ensue.