INTERNATIONAL: Russian Warning

Moscow leveled big verbal guns at Que bec, let go a warning salvo: Aug. 12— "The Soviet Government did not receive an invitation to be present at the [Quebec] meeting." Aug. 20 — The Quebec conference is "serving the interests of the Anglo-American forces," but does not "express the opinion of the entire Anglo-Soviet-American coalition."

Aug. 21 — "The Praesidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has relieved Assistant People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs Comrade Litvinoff of his post as Ambassador and Envoy Plenipotentiary of the U.S.S.R. in the United States. Comrade Andrei Gromyko has been appointed Ambassador and Envoy Plenipotentiary of the U.S.S.R. in the United States." Ever since the Soviet revolution Maxim Litvinoff has been the stoutest Russian advocate of close friendship and collaboration with Britain and the U.S. And the significance of Litvinoff's removal was not isolated: only last month Ivan Maisky, warm admirer of the British who worked long and expertly for Russian-British understanding, was removed from his post as Ambassador to Great Britain.

Parallel? Joseph Stalin certainly knew that Churchill and Roosevelt would consider the parallel with 1939: May 3 — Maxim Litvinoff was replaced as Foreign Commissar.

June 12— William Strang of the British Foreign Office went to Moscow to talk about joint action against aggressors.

June 29 — Pravda published an article by M. Zhdanov, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Soviet Union.

Wrote Zhdanov: "By making play with the supposed intransigeance of the U.S.S.R.

[the British and French] can use their own public opinion to pave the way to a deal with the aggressors." Aug. 10 — A French-British military mis sion arrived in Russia. The talks got no where. Marshal Voroshilov later said the Russians had argued that to be able to give effective aid the Red Army would have to enter Polish territory. He said the Anglo-French mission did not agree, that the Polish Government refused to accept military assistance from Russia.

Aug. 19—Russia signed a trade and credit agreement with Germany.

Aug. 23—Germany and Russia signed a nonaggression pact.

Sept. 1—World War II began.

Eastern View. Last week Red Star, official organ of the Red Army, again demanded an Allied invasion of the Continent. Red Star, said all the Wehrmacht's "attention is concentrated on operations against the Red Army, which now is bearing on its shoulders, as for two years, the main burden of the struggle against the forces of Germany."

Red Star again defined Russia's demand: "By a second front we understand an operation by our allies in the west which would draw from 50 to 60 divisions from the Soviet-German front. . . . The struggle for Sicily, however, failed to divert a single German division from the Soviet-German front."

It was not only the lack of a second front in Europe; other matters aroused Russian suspicions: