Mission to Moscow Page #12

your frankness, sir.

A little while ago i said

that my job was finished.

After having talked

with you,

i wonder if it hasn't

only begun.

Good-bye, sir.

Good-bye, mr. Davies.

Then came

the tragic mistake of munich,

when hitler was handed

the sudetenland

in return

for his pledge of peace.

But only 5 months later

his army invaded prague

and all czechoslovakia

was swallowed

by the german reich.

In london i tried

to impress the british leaders

with the great danger

of appeasing germany

while ignoring russia's offer

of a military alliance.

But my warnings failed

to bring any real response.

Finally, in desperation,

i went to a man

who was then living in kent

but who was later to move

to number 10 downing street.

Winston is working in the garden,

but i know

he's expecting you.

He's building

one of his pet brick walls.

I don't like

to interrupt his weekend,

mrs. Churchill,

but i'm very anxious to see him.

We're delighted

to have you both.

So, please sit down,

and i'll call him.

No, please don't.

Let me go.

I'm familiar with some of

his other accomplishments,

but i'd like to see

how good a bricklayer he is.

Then follow that path,

and please remind him

that hitler's speech

is on the wireless

at 3:
00.

Do sit down.

I doubt if either one

of them will remember it

once they get started

on their politics.

Do you ever stop to think

that men are always trying

to make the world

better or worse,

while most women

are content just to live in it?

Very good, sir.

The professional touch

of a bricklayer.

I am a professional.

I'm only an amateur

in politics.

If i thought that,

i wouldn't be here.

Very glad to see you, davies.

Good to see you, sir.

Do sit down.

Thank you.

It's always nice

to be here.

Tell me all about russia.

Do you want it

in 5 minutes,

or do you want me

to stay a week?

First,

about that russian army.

We get so many reports.

French general gamlin just made a

statement it's only strong on paper.

That's the kind of

reckless statement

that one ally shouldn't

make of another

if he wants

to keep him as an ally.

Well, most of the monetary

observers make the same report.

There's so much antl-soviet

prejudice in the diplomatic corps,

that they won't

see the truth.

Or if they do see the

truth, they won't admit it.

Well, what is the truth?

Well, i'm not a soldier,

but i think

it's one of the finest

armies in the world

in training and morale

and equipment.

And i've never yet

seen a soviet general

whose belly wasn't

smaller than his chest.

But an army's no stronger

than its second line of defense.

What about their industry?

I've inspected their

plants, and i know plants.

In a short span of years

they've

accomplished miracles

in their

industrial development.

And in my opinion,

if war comes,

these people will give a

magnificent account of themselves.

It's foolish

to underestimate

either their strength

or their good faith.

Well, what do you want me

to do about it?

Tell you what

i'd like to see done,

and i'd like

to see done quickly.

I'd like to see you

building another wall,

a solid wall

of military alliance

with russian and every other

country threatened by germany.

That would

pin hitler in,

and short-circuit

his plan

of chewing up europe

a piece at a time.

But as you well know, davies,

i'm not a member

of the government.

But you have great influence

with the english people.

You could

bring home to them

the terrible danger

we're all in.

No, i'm an alarmist.

I say things

people don't like to hear.

It would take a major catastrophe

to make my voice heard.

If you don't

make it heard,

it will be

a major catastrophe.

If the democracies

continue

to look down their noses

at russia,

you know

what's going to happen?

Just as sure

as you're sitting there,

they'll drive stalin

into hitler's arms.

You think that's possible?

Stalin implied that

to me in his talk.

Moscow is getting fed up

with the delays

of england and france

concluding

a military alliance.

All they ask is the same

guarantee of assistance

against hitler that

they're willing to give.

That sound reasonable

and seems fair.

As a matter of fact,

for a long time

i've been an advocate

of a realistic triple

alliance including russia,

directed against aggression.

In my opinion, we should

stop all this bungling

and set negotiations

with moscow.

If you don't, they'll certainly

take hitler's alternative.

These people

are realists.

They're not going to fight

someone else's war.

Sooner or later they realize

they'll have to fight germany,

but a temporary

non-aggression pact

would give them

more time to prepare.

Could be a disaster for us.

If hitler can close

his eastern door,

he'll only have

to fight on one front.

Exactly,

and that front would be

against your country

and france.

It's that damnable blackmail

threat from the air.

It ties

our government's hands.

That's been

the trouble all along.

But i've been tremendously impressed

by what you've said, davies.

I cannot promise much,

but i'll do what i can.

Well, i'm very glad

i came.

What about america?

Your government

could give powerful support

to the democracies.

Except for that neutrality act.

I'm going back

to tell the president

and congress just exactly

what i've told you,

that unless something

is done to stop hitler,

we may have

to fight him alone.

Speaking of the devil,

we may as well

go in and listen.

We may get an idea

of what he intends to do.

Which will be the direct

opposite of what he promises.

Churchill kept his word.

He made speeches

urging an immediate alliance

with the soviet union.

The english people

began to listen.

But again the reactionary

government hesitated,

even at the eleventh hour.

Oh, there you are.

I've been looking

all over for you.

Hello, dear.

What's the matter?

This radiogram

came a few minutes ago.

"Dear mr. Ambassador,

our worst fears are realized.

"This afternoon

a non-aggression pact was signed

"between germany

and the soviet union.

Then it's happened.

Hitler's closed

his eastern door.

God help the rest of us.

I feel as though everything

the boss has sent me over to do

has gone out the window, that

i've accomplished nothing.

Oh, don't talk like that, joe.

You did everything

you could possibly do.

And, anyway,

there's still a chance

our government

can do something.

That's right.

Anyway, i'm glad

we're going back home.

What my wife said was true.

At this point, only one country could

possibly swerve hitler from his course:

The united states of america.

After making my report

to the president,

he asked me

to attend a meeting

of a congressional committee.

But congressional sentiment

hasn't changed, mr. Secretary.

Personally, i don't advise

reopening the question

of amending the neutrality

bill in this session.

In my judgment, it wouldn't

have a chance of passing

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