The slow development of events in Finland is helping to fan a frenzied anti-Soviet campaign in Britain. The campaign began almost a fortnight ago, and there are no signs of it subsiding. If anything, the tension is growing.

The press is still raging, and the ‘left’ (Daily Herald and News Chronicle) turns out to be even worse than the ‘right’ (The Times, Daily Telegraph, etc.). All sorts of slanders, lies, and nonsense concerning the USSR are published under foot-long headlines on the front pages of the London papers. The press simply excels itself when it comes to ‘the bombing of women and children’ and ‘the use of gas’ by the Red Army. We have already issued official denials, but to no avail.

The radio and the cinema are no better. The other day I even had to submit a protest to the FO about the BBC repeating the slander about the use of gas (despite our refutation).

In parliament, a touching ‘united anti-Soviet front’ has been formed, ranging from right Conservatives to left Labour. Only the Labourites Pritt, Wedgwood and Neil Maclean, and the Liberal Richard Acland

Sir Richard Acland, Liberal MP, 1935–45; with J.B. Priestley founded the Common Wealth Party in 1942.

take a friendly stance. The rest of the Labourites and Liberals are experiencing different degrees of anti-Soviet fury. The National Labour Council published a pogrom-like manifesto against the USSR last week.

A most peculiar situation obtains in the institutions of the judiciary: there we now find ourselves systematically losing even those cases which seem to us incontestable.

The British government has clearly decided against shyness. Gloves off ! Otherwise, this whole frenzied campaign would be inconceivable. Halifax’s speech in the House of Lords on 5 December is very indicative in this respect. Similarly indicative is Butler’s belligerent activity in Geneva, where he supports the proposal to expel the USSR from the League of Nations. Equally interesting is the fact that the British government has decided to publish a ‘White Book’ on the summer negotiations in Moscow. The Foreign Office had until now been against publishing it, arguing on more than one occasion that ‘it could have an unfavourable effect on Anglo-Soviet relations’. Now this consideration has been dropped. One can easily imagine the content of this ‘White Book’! The British government will exploit the opportunity to justify its conduct during the talks and to accuse the USSR. Lies, slander, distortion – everything will be used for this purpose. Not blatant lies, in all probability, but (which is far more dangerous) a crafty mixture of truth and deceit. It would be a good idea for us to prepare our own ‘White Book’ for publication right after the British one. Otherwise the British version will circulate around the world without any resistance from our side.

What will happen next?

The League of Nations will take a decision any day now. The decision is likely to be ‘expulsion’. The response of the British government is hard to predict. One thing is clear: it will not give open armed support to Ryti and Co., but will help them politically and diplomatically and supply them with planes, arms, etc.

As for the anti-Soviet campaign, one thing is particularly striking. In the campaigns connected with events in Poland and then in the Baltic, the USSR was accused of ‘imperialism’. Now emphasis is placed on ‘world revolution’ and ‘communism’. The question ‘who is the No. 1 enemy? – Germany or the USSR?’ is the subject of heated discussion in governmental and political circles. The answers vary. No wonder London is abuzz with rumours about new attempts to test the ground for a deal with Hitler. Montagu Norman and Horace Wilson are mentioned in this connection.

The position taken up by the USA will play a major role, as it has always done. Chamberlain and Co. look to the States more than ever before.

However, in spite of the anti-Soviet frenzy dominating the social and political atmosphere in the country, there is no talk here (unlike in France) of severing diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. The English are cleverer than the French. Moreover, they have already tried it once and do not wish to repeat the unfortunate experience. However, I cannot vouch for the more distant future. Anything may happen in time of war.

Superficially, we are treated here in a perfectly correct manner. But there is an icy emptiness around the embassy and the trade mission, as there always is in the days of large anti-Soviet campaigns. With a few exceptions, all our ‘friends’, both on the ‘right’ and on the ‘left’, dived for cover when the campaign was launched. Well, it’s not the first time. They’ll come back.

I’m an old bird, and this isn’t the first storm I’ve had to face. As soon as the events in Finland come to an end, it will blow over. The British are past masters at accepting the ‘fait accompli’.