Kapitel 248: Chapter 326 Negotiations
From 1934 to 1937, the United States consecutively enacted three neutrality acts, stipulating that the U.S. would remain "neutral" in wars occurring in other parts of the world and refrain from supplying arms and strategic materials to the warring parties.
Roosevelt used the partial burning of the Capitol Building in 1814 to persuade Congress to abolish the embargo provisions. After intense debates both inside and outside Congress, a neutral act amendment was passed, lifting the embargo provisions and adopting the principle of buying on a cash basis, meaning cash purchases with self-transportation.
On the other side, Eden, arriving in Moscow in a dusty state, met Molotov again. "Mr. Molotov, I would like to continue discussing the matters we talked about last time." After the formal greetings, Eden went straight to the point.
Molotov vaguely guessed Eden's intentions and excitement flashed in his eyes. "Is your side prepared to cede the Indian colonies?" Despite his efforts to suppress it, the slightly trembling voice betrayed his excitement.
As early as 1715, Peter the Great had specifically sent people to investigate whether there were navigable rivers in Iran leading to the Indian border. In 1722, he swiftly advanced to the southern shore of the Caspian Sea.
Just when the Russian army was preparing to expand its gains and continue southward, it was restrained by the Ottoman Turks. The Turkish army entered Persian territory from the west and informed Russia that if the Russian army dared to advance south again, it would mean war. Due to the overly extended Russian front in this campaign and Peter the Great's lingering fear of being trapped (he had nearly been captured by the Turks in 1711 near the Prut River), he was forced to stop this military action.
It was not until 1795 that Empress Catherine the Great finally fulfilled Peter the Great's wish and opened up the passage from Persia to India. However, it was the existence of the Ottoman Turkish Empire that prevented the Russians from gaining access to the Persian Gulf (mainly restricting them to the Caucasus region and the shores of the Caspian Sea), with their most significant success being the control of the northern half of Iran's territory.
During Alexander I's reign, in 1804, Russia attacked Iran, but soon afterward, Russia became deeply involved in the Napoleonic Wars and had no time to look east. Later, Russia fell into a long period of economic stagnation, and because of the Crimean War and the strained relations with Britain and France, it couldn't make a move. Although Russia had defeated Iran in the war of 1826, Britain vehemently opposed Russia's expansion into Iran to ensure the connection between its African colonies and Indian colonies, and political and economic pressures prevented Russia from getting a chance. On the eve of World War I, internal conflicts in Russia were already quite intense, with deteriorating relations with Germany in Europe and defeat in the Russo-Japanese War in the Far East, making an invasion of Iran nothing more than a daydream. So, in 1907, the Anglo-Russian Treaty was signed, limiting Russia's sphere of influence to northern Iran, losing the opportunity to establish an Indian Ocean fleet.
Now that the British Empire is about to hand over the entire Indian subcontinent willingly, how can one not be excited? Moreover, the current Indian colony includes territories such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, etc., forming a vast colonial area known as the Indian subcontinent, covering an area of over 4 million square kilometers and a population of nearly 400 million.
Eden sighed deeply. "Yes, Prime Minister Churchill has agreed. However, your side needs to declare war on Germany and send troops into German territory before we can proceed with the transfer."
"Oh?" Molotov squinted slightly, sneering. "Is the envoy joking? Declare war first? Even if you change your mind later, there will be no room for us and Germany to turn back, and the only ones benefiting will be you! "
Eden hurriedly said, "We can sign an agreement..."
Before he finished speaking, Molotov waved his hand to interrupt him. "I've already made it clear to the envoy last time that your country's credibility is not convincing. We must obtain actual benefits. White agreements like this are almost like farting."
Eden couldn't help but feel annoyed. "How can we trust your side? Handing over the colonies to your side, and then your side doesn't declare war, or declares war but doesn't fight. Won't we have lost an important colony for nothing?"
"...," Indeed, at this point, neither side trusts the other's credibility.
How should this transaction proceed?
The negotiations had to be temporarily adjourned. Molotov reported to Stalin, who convened a high-level meeting to discuss the matter.
In fact, Stalin was quite adept at deceiving the British, so his original plan was to initially agree to the British proposal. Then, once the British handed over India to the Soviets, the Soviets could find various excuses to delay.
After all, there was no need to be too trustworthy with the British, considering their past misdeeds.
However, it seemed that the British were not so easily fooled. They demanded that the Soviet Union first engage in a life-and-death struggle with Germany before agreeing to hand over India. How could the Soviet Union accept such conditions? Yet, if they directly refused, it would be like throwing away the meat that was within reach, which was truly a pity.
"Comrade Budyonny, please share your thoughts," Stalin said, looking at Budyonny seated on his left.
Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny was one of the founding Marshals of the Soviet Union, with a military career spanning seventy years. He participated in almost all significant Soviet wars, including both World Wars. Generals such as Zhukov, Timoshenko, Rokossovsky, who were prominent during World War II, had all served under Budyonny.
During the Russian Civil War, Budyonny achieved remarkable feats, and after the war, his position naturally rose. In just a few short years, he went from being the Deputy Commander of the North Caucasus Military District to becoming the second-in-command of the People's Commissariat of Defense.
Budyonny was in charge of cavalry construction, and while diligently working, he also perfected relevant military theories, making indelible contributions to the Soviet military construction.
However, people were not very fond of Budyonny, and a "stain" had a significant impact on his reputation.
In the tumultuous 1930s, his wife, Mikhaylovna, was suspected of "spy activities." The notorious Yezhov went to Budyonny to demand her, and as the supreme leader's confidant and a Soviet hero, Budyonny actually personally delivered his wife to Lubyanka.
It's worth noting that Mikhaylovna was a famous singer, and her radiant beauty had been kept imprisoned until Stalin's death. In contrast, Marshal Tukhachevsky's admirable approach in similar circumstances was to personally appeal to Stalin for those he deemed worth protecting, leaving no room for ambiguity.
Now this marshal wasn't leading a comfortable life, and he even seemed a bit jittery. Out of the five marshals who were promoted together (Voroshilov, Budyonny, Blyukher, Yegorov, Tukhachevsky), only he remained. He couldn't help but worry that he might be next.
Although he wanted to be a transparent person, when called upon by Stalin, Budyonny had no choice but to express his own opinions. "Since neither side trusts the other, I think we can exchange in stages. The British can designate a piece of land for us first, and then we declare war on Germany. After each advancement, the British can transfer in batches."
Upon hearing this, the others nodded in agreement, and Stalin concluded, "A good suggestion. Molotov, go and discuss the specific details with the British envoy."
With the British matters settled, Stalin inquired about another issue. "Has Finland agreed?"
Molotov respectfully replied, "Finland has not agreed."
"Then let's deal with the Finnish matter first." After this round of purges, Stalin had eliminated a batch of hidden dissenters. Now, both the military and political spheres in the Soviet Union were completely under Stalin's control. He had achieved unprecedented control and unity in issuing political and military orders.
However, the downside was that due to the Great Purge, the Soviet Union suffered severe depletion and had not completed war preparations. If they were to go to war with Germany, the Soviet Union needed a nationwide mobilization.
Therefore, Stalin needed to use Finland as a warm-up before the main event.
What were the grievances between Finland and the Soviet Union?
As early as the Middle Ages, Finland was under the control of the powerful Baltic hegemon Sweden, serving as one of its provinces in the east. Later, the Russian Empire began to rise in power, leading to prolonged wars of hegemony with Sweden. The greedy Russian Tsar showed great interest in the fertile land of Finland, turning it into a battleground between Sweden and Russia.
In 1808, prompted by their "ally" Napoleon, the Russian Empire initiated a war against Sweden and dispatched 24,000 soldiers into Finland. After fierce battles, Russia finally occupied the entire territory of Finland. From that moment on, Finland was incorporated into the Russian domain.
It wasn't until the February Revolution and the October Revolution that a brutal civil war erupted across the Russian land. During this chaos, Poland, the three Baltic states, and Finland took the opportunity to declare their independence. Unlike other regions, the Finns believed their independence was just and reasonable. Finland had joined Russia because they had recognized the Tsar as their sovereign. Since the Tsar had abdicated, Finland no longer had a basis for a union with Russia.
In 1917, Finland declared itself an independent nation and gained recognition from Lenin.
In early 1918, some Soviet armed personnel participated in the armed uprising led by the Finnish Communists and were suppressed by the Finnish government. From May to June 1919, during the foreign military intervention in Soviet Russia, Finland sent troops to join the White Army's attack on Petrograd (which was not yet renamed Leningrad). From 1921 to 1922, thousands of Finns participated in the rebellion in the Soviet Karelia region, which the Soviet Union viewed as Finland having territorial ambitions in that area. These historical entanglements cast a shadow over the relations between the two countries. Finland always considered the Soviet Union as its archenemy, and the Soviet Union remained concerned that Finland could become a springboard for Western powers to attack the Soviet Union. Overall, in the 1920s to the early 1930s, the relations between the two sides were extremely tense.
However, in 1932, both parties signed the "Soviet-Finnish Non-Aggression Treaty." This treaty stipulated that both sides guaranteed non-aggression along existing borders, avoiding any aggressive actions toward each other. The treaty also declared that both sides would always strive, in a spirit of justice, to settle any disputes of any nature or origin between them. This treaty temporarily eased the tensions between the two countries. In 1934, it was further confirmed as valid for ten years.
Nevertheless, during this period, Finland also received assistance from Western countries. Both Britain and Germany assisted Finland between 1932 and 1938, either by providing military aid or sending instructors. The defensive line in the Karelian Isthmus, named after Mannerheim, was completed with the support of Western experts. This move by Finland raised suspicions significantly in the Soviet Union. In early 1939, the Soviet Union initiated negotiations with Finland.
During the negotiations, the Soviet Union made the following demands: 1. Sign a mutual assistance treaty; 2. Lease the Hanko Peninsula to the Soviet Union as a military base; 3. Cede part of the Karelia region to the Soviet Union; 4. Demolish the defense line in the Karelian Isthmus; 5. Cede some islands in the Gulf of Finland; 6. The Soviet Union would compensate Finland with part of the Karelian region.
In the Soviet demands, the territory gained by Finland would be larger than the territory ceded (Finland would exchange 5,000 square kilometers northwest of Lake Onega for 2,000 square kilometers of land on the Finnish border). However, the Finns were not prepared to accept the Soviet demands. Russians were known for being untrustworthy, domineering, and violent; if you give them an inch, they might take a yard. The so-called land exchange might just be a smokescreen, with the real goal being the annexation of the entire Finland. For instance, why did the Soviet Union demand Finland to dismantle the defense line in the Karelian Isthmus? Was it expecting Finland to open the door for invasion? Additionally, why did the Soviet Union ask for the signing of a so-called "mutual assistance treaty"? It should be noted that the Baltic states had also signed such a treaty before being annexed. After careful consideration, Finland decisively rejected all of the Soviet Union's demands.
Rather than appreciating Finland's refusal, Stalin was overjoyed. Since the era of the Russian Empire, Russia had frequently presented neighboring countries with unacceptable demands. If they refused, Russia would have a pretext for aggression. Stalin's tactics were no different from those of his predecessors in the Russian Empire. He had already anticipated that Finland would not accept this agreement.
"Issue the final ultimatum to Finland. If they refuse, it means war!"
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein