The Wilmington morning star., 1943-08-31
CHAPTER 26

line RUSSIAN people looked at
the news of the invasion of Africa,
looked at each other, and Won
dered what to make of it. 1t SEEM
ed to be good news. Any news
that meant their allies were fight
ing was good news. But it was
not the second front in Europe.
Perhaps it was only poor SUBJ
stitute for the second front. On
the other hand, perhaps it was a
preparation for the second front.
They did not know.
Some of their questions were an
swered five days later when the
newspapers published the text of
Prime Minister ChurchilFs Novem-
ber II speech to the House Of
Commons, giving the background
of the American landings in French
Africa, the British offensive in
Egypt, and the secondfront prob
lem. The same papers which had
been prodding him now printed his
statement that a second front in
the summer or autumn Of 1912
was impossible, no matter h w
great the pressure of public opin-
ion. They carried his explanation
of the now famous communique
about the tasks of creating a Sec
ond front in 1912: that it had been
considered correct to deceive the
enemy thus, even though the peo-
pie of the United Nations them
selves were plunged temporarily in
doubt, but that the Soviet govern
ment itself was not deceived; it
knew, as early as June, that the
second front could not be prom
ised.
Later, I learned Stain himself
had known of the Allied plans,
down to the very time and place.
The troubles Immediately preced-
ing the African operations could
only mean that, at that time,
Stain was not satisfied. He still
wanted second front in Europe.
That afternoon, after going
through the papers at the foreign
commissariat, I went back to the
hotel and typed a second letter to
Stain on the second front.
I folded up the letter at 6 pm,
and asked George Green to take
it over to the Kremlin,> to the
same place as before He looked
at the letter and said, 7 get it.
And the same three questions
That's right I said. and maybe
we'll get the same answers. "A
hundred to one says you don't
take him up on that, but let it go
by reminding him he would have
made the same bet on the previ-
GUS letter, and sent him off to
the .Krenalin.
The next night was sitting over
the supper table in the Metropole
at 1910 when Palgunov tetephoned
to come to the Narkonindiel right
away!
When I reached the press de
partment at 1890, Palgunov had
not arrived. This I recognized as
another symptom of a Stain let
ter. Palgunov had obviously gone
to the Kremlin to get it, and had
not yet returned. . sat down to
wait in the dinly lit, orange-pa-
pered room, under the pictures OF
Stain, Molotov, and Kalinin. 1t
was long wait. :
At midnight, the girl ushered
me into his presence. There, on
his desk, was the second letter
from Stain.
Don't tell me you have another
document for me- I exclaimed, in
mock surprise.
Palgunov grinned: You knew
why I sent for your
I suspected I said,, and sal
down before his desk.
Here is a letter from Comrade
Stain, which 1 hereby transmit
to you,' he said, in his most for:
NAL tone, and handed it to me.
I ran quickly over the author
lied translation. It said:
Dear Mr.. Cassidy:
I am answering your questions
which reached me on November
II 18th.
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