A full year passed after the telegram exchange between Winston Churchill and Stafford Cripps, where Churchill cynically laid the blame on the USSR for the start of WWII, and where Britain adopted a wait-and-see position. No second front was still forthcoming.
Iosif Stalin was fully aware of what kind of allies Britain and the USA were, as becomes apparent from the following two telegrams, sent by him to the USSR ambassador to Great Britain, I.M. Maisky on October 19 and 28, 1942.
Telegram from the Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR, I.V. Stalin, to the USSR ambassador to Great Britain, I.M. Maisky, on the intentions of the head of the British government, W. Churchill
From the Electronic Library of Historical Documents.
October 19, 1942
We all have the impression in Moscow that Churchill is pursuing a course aimed at the defeat of the USSR, in order to then conspire with Hitler’s Germany or Breuning at the expense of our country. Without such an assumption, it is difficult to explain Churchill’s behaviour on the issue of the second front in Europe, on the issue of arms supplies to the USSR, which are progressively declining despite the growth of production in Britain, on the issue of Hess, whom Churchill apparently keeps in reserve, and finally on the issue of the systematic bombing of Berlin by the British during September, which Churchill proclaimed in Moscow and which he did not fulfill one iota, despite the fact that he certainly could have done it.
I. StalinSoviet-British relations during the Great Patriotic War 1941 – 1945: Documents and materials: In 2 volumes. Vol. 1. 1941 – 1943. Moscow, 1983. p. 294.
It is noteworthy that as early as August 30, 1941 — a whole month before the Churchill-Stafford communication — I.V. Stalin wrote to I.M. Maisky:
“In fact, the British government is helping the Nazis with its passive wait-and-see policy. The Nazis want to beat their opponents one by one — the Russians today, the British tomorrow. The fact that England applauds us and scolds the Germans with the last words does not change the matter at all. Do the British understand this? I think they do. What do they want? They seem to want to weaken us. If this assumption is correct, we need to be careful about the British.”
(Soviet-British relations… Vol. 1. p. 109)
A follow-up telegram from I.V. Stalin to I.M. Maisky with arguments in favour of his point of view that W. Churchill is aiming for the defeat of the USSR
From the Electronic Library of Historical Documents.
London. Sov.Embassy. For Maisky.
October 28, 1942I have received your suggestions. I found a lot of interesting and instructive things in them. A number of your suggestions coincide with the events we have planned.
I still think that, being a proponent of an easy war, Churchill will easily succumb to the influence of those who are pursuing a course aimed at the defeat of the Soviet Union, because the defeat of our country and compromise with Germany at the expense of the Soviet Union is the easiest form of war between Britain and Germany.
Of course, the British will later realise that without the Russian front on the continent of Europe, if France fails, they, i.e. the British, are doomed to perish. But when will they realise this?
We shall see in due course.
I doubt that the British would support the Northern operation. They’re just talking about it for show.
Churchill told us in Moscow that by the beginning of the spring of ’43, about a million Anglo-American troops would open a second front in Europe. But Churchill seems to be one of those figures who easily make a promise, in order to just as easily forget about it or even blatantly break it.
He also solemnly promised in Moscow to bomb Berlin intensively during September-October. However, he did not fulfil his promise and did not even try to inform Moscow about the motives for non-fulfilment.
Well, from now on, we shall know what kind of allies we are dealing with.
I have little faith in Operation Torch. If, contrary to expectations, this operation ends successfully, we can come to terms with the fact that they took away our planes for this operation.
I spoke to Wilkie and informed Roosevelt that in the next 12 months we will need to receive 2 million tons of wheat from the United States. Wilkie said that the United States doesn’t know what to do with its bread and that our request is quite feasible. Roosevelt responded positively, but did not offer anything concrete. Your proposal to involve Canada in this matter is absolutely correct, as Canada also doesn’t know what to do with its bread.
STALIN“Stalin and Churchill. Meetings. Talks. Discussions: Documents, comments. 1941 – 1945.” 2004. Page 378.






















