Word: soviet
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...rich Sin kiang province on the borders of Outer Mongolia and, with luck, came back with his story. Those of you who read TIME'S account of it in the October 6 issue know that the story turned out to be another important piece in the pattern of Soviet encirclement of China. As for the trip itself, here are some excerpts from Gruin's account...
...Tihua, Gruin and Colin-Ho set about interviewing everybody who could help unravel the Sinkiang story. Most of their informants were as effusively evasive as the stocky Russian manager of Tihua's Sino-Soviet airport who said he wanted no pictures taken because "the airport is in bad repair and it would give a bad impression if printed in the magazine." After considerable argument Gruin was allowed to take two shots, carefully outlined before snapping. Then, for a firsthand view of the area where Chinese and Mongolian troops had been having a border fracas, they trucked across the gravel...
Molotov made that clear to Hitler in 1940 during the days of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. Molotov demanded recognition of Russian interests in Rumania, Bulgaria, the Dardanelles and Finland, besides the Baltic states and part of Poland, as the price of continuing friendship. In fact, Byrnes believes that Molotov's stubborn rooting away at Europe's fences was what sent Hitler into a rage and precipitated the Nazi invasion of Russia...
...Decent Manner. Soviet Russia's ambitions are the same today, only more so. "I do not doubt," says Byrnes "that their ultimate goal is to dominate, in one way or another, all of Europe...
China, Key to Victory. All the best Russian forces could then be directed toward the Far East, where the definitive struggle would begin, in China. The Soviet Union would by then have at least 300 divisions available, further reinforced by the Chinese Communist armies. The war in Asia could be brought to an end within two years, according to Soviet estimates. And once China was conquered, a compromise peace could be offered the U.S., based on a split of the world into two zones: Europe (except Britain), the Near and Middle East, North Africa and China to the Russians...