RUSSIA: Tchitcherin Travels

When Foreign Minister Gregory Vassilievitch Tchitcherin is in Moscow it is not unusual for the windows of the Soviet Foreign Office to blaze until dawn. M. Tchitcherin is lank, indefatigable. Once an aristocrat and trained in the Tsarist diplomatic school, he has espoused the cause of the Soviets with a vehemence that drives his hard pushed subordinates to the last fringe of desperation.

For months and years he has been directing from Moscow the Soviet’s stupendous dream to unite with certain Western European nations and crush the rest. Until recently he has felt that Germany and Poland were diplomatically very close to Russia. Suddenly, with the coming of the Locarno Conference (see INTERNATIONAL) they seemed to be drawing away.

Last week M. Tchitcherin announced that he was suffering from an attack of diabetes which required the care of foreign specialists, climbed aboard a train for Warsaw.

As he whirred along he fashioned phrases which he hoped would make the might of Russia felt in Poland. Descending from his train at Warsaw, he found Premier Wladyslaw Grabski and indeed the whole city seemingly intent upon nothing but his honor.

Banquet followed banquet. So many Poles rushed to make him welcome that diplomatic conversation was all but impossible. It was apparent that the Poles were intent upon drowning awkward questions about security pacts in toasts to their guest’s health. . .

Unsatisfied, he whirred away to Berlin, spoke as follows to correspondents: “A staunch and lasting understanding between the Soviet Union and Poland has a universal significance and repercussion. . . . On both sides a firm will was maintained to remove with the greatest energy everything disturbing our relations.”

In Berlin the processions of glittering nonentities who wished to shake the Soviet Minister’s hand were resumed. Prince von Bulow (onetime Court Chamberlain) Count Rantzau (brother of the German Ambassador to Moscow), Counts Kalckrenth, Westarp, et al., were called in by Chancellor Luther and Foreign Minister Strese-mann to have lunch with M. Tchitcherin and keep him entertained.

At last Tchitcherin broke away from them and cornered Foreign Minister Stresemann; he talked and talked to him all afternoon, all night, until two in the morning of the day when Stresemann was to leave for Locarno.

Shortly before train time, Tchitcherin again talked to Stresemann for more than an hour; delivered a last exhortation. What he said may be judged from his public utterances: “England’s effort toward creating a security compact is simply a part of her insidious anti-Soviet activity. . . . England sees in Germany a mere pawn to be used against Russia… Germany must not fall into the British trap.”

Herr Stresemann, for his part, had little enough with which to parry gracefully the Russian’s arguments, such as they were. While his train for Locarno stood waiting at the station, he could only assure M. Tchitcherin that Germany has often voiced her intention of not assuming any obligations under the League which might lead to Allied troops being mobilized across Germany to attack Russia; and that Germany would evade any Allied desire to impose such obligations upon her at Locarno, if she could. Meanwhile would not Minister Tchitcherin please be quiet, and accept for his country a 100 million gold mark credit which the Reich Cabinet had just rushed through in the form of a Russo-German trade treaty.

With haste and fervor Herr Stresemann, thrusting that trade treaty sop at the importunate Tchitcherin, stayed not upon the order of bolting for his train. On the platform stood the British, French and Italian Ambassadors to Germany, their faces wreathed in smiles. They whispered into the ear of Herr Stresemann. Then they shook his hand and that of his colleague, Chancellor Luther, who was also going. As Herr Stresemann clambered into his compartment, yet another pair of lips spoke quick and soft in his ear. They belonged to Monsignor Pacelli, the Papal Nuncio, who had come to whisper the deep counsel of the Vicar of Christ.

To all except M. Tchitcherin the puffing of the express, as it got under way, seemed to trumpet a new hope for Europe. Ahead of the disappointed Russian there lie perhaps other travels. Seemingly checkmated in Western Europe, he may soon have to seek alliances in the East.