17. Zolotarev, Russkii arkhiv: Velikaia otechestvennaia, XVIII (VII/i): 116–8 (RGVA, f. 33987, op. 1, d. 38, l. 102–6). See also Efimenko et al., Vooruzhennyi konflikt, 77–8 (RGVA, f. 37977, op. 1, d. 38, l. 110–2: Shaposhnikov, May 28, 1939).
18. Coox, Nomonhan, 200–65; Efimenko et al., Vooruzhennyi konflikt, 82–4 (RGVA, f. 37977, op. 1, d. 37, l. 109–15), 88 (RGVA, f. 37977, op. 1, d. 82, l. 74: May 31, 1939).
19. Tret’ia sessiia Verkhovnogo Soveta SSSR, 25–31 maia 1939 g., 467–76 (at 476); God Krizisa, I: 523–30.
20. God krizisa, I: 520–2 (AVP RF, f. 011, op. 4, pap. 27, d. 59, l. 105–10). Astakhov informed Moscow of Germany’s evident wish to throw a wrench into Soviet-British talks. Weizsäcker sensed Soviet suspicions of German motives. DVP SSSR, XXII/i: 406; Hill, Weizsäcker Papiere, 154. Ribbentrop had informed Weizsäcker and Friedrich Gaus (director of the foreign ministry legal department) on May 25 that Hitler for some time had been thinking about improving relations with the USSR; the two officials drafted instructions for the embassy in Moscow, to convey to Molotov, but then these instructions were not sent, either because Ribbentrop was still hopeful of a formal military alliance with Japan, which a deal with Moscow would scuttle, or Hitler found them excessive. DGFP, series D, VI: 589–93 (Ribbentrop instructions, May [26], 1939); Fleischhauer, Der Pakt, 202–7.
21. DGFP, series D, VI: 614–5.
22. The freedom to choose the moment implied Japan might not even carry out military actions. Iklé, German-Japanese Relations, 117–8 (citing International Military Tribunal for the Far East, Documents Presented in Evidence, exhibit 614: Ott telegram to foreign ministry, June 5, 1939); Presseisen, Germany and Japan, 212–3 (citing exhibit 614); Tokushirō, “The Anti-Comintern Pact,” 103–5.
23. Gavrilov, Voennaia razvedka informiruet, 99–105 (TsAMO, f. 23, op. 9157, d. 2, l. 350–60); DVP SSSR, XXII/ii: 583 n169.
24. Iklé, German-Japanese Relations, 87–118; Nolte, Der europäische Bürgerkrieg, 308.
25. Sontag and Beddie, Nazi-Soviet Relations, 18–20 (Schulenburg to Berlin, June 5, 1939), 21–2 (Tippelskirch, June 18, on Mikoyan’s distrust). The Germans had gotten Stalin’s point: in May 1939, the anti-Nazi Herwarth of the German embassy secretly conveyed it to U.S. ambassador Bohlen. Bohlen, Witness to History, 69–82 (at 71).
26. Sontag and Beddie, Nazi-Soviet Relations, 20–1 (Woermann foreign ministry memo, June 15, 1939).
27. Weinberg, Foreign Policy, II: 603. The German foreign ministry expert Nadolny was of the opinion that the Treaty of Berlin was still valid. DGFP, series D, VI: 686–7 (June 9, 1939), 687 (June 9, 1939), 741–2 (June 17, 1939), 843–5 (July 4, 1939).
28. On June 17, Schulenburg, in Berlin, requested a meeting with Astakhov, and told him the German foreign ministry awaited a response to Weizsäcker’s prompt of May 30, underscoring its sincerity and seriousness. God krizisa, II: 40 (AVP RF, f. 059, op. 1, pap. 294, d. 2036, l. 115–6), 65–7 (f. 06, op. 1a, pap. 26, d. 1, l. 4–6: Molotov and Schulenburg, June 28).
29. Schulenburg brought up this incident to Molotov as a way of broaching touchy issues. Sontag and Beddie, Nazi-Soviet Relations, 53–6 (at 54: Schulenburg to the foreign ministry, Aug. 16, 1939).
30. Sontag and Beddie, Nazi-Soviet Relations, 25–6 (Hewel, June 29, 1939), 27–8 (Weizsäcker to Schulenburg, June 30). See also DGFP, series D, VI: 820–1 (Schnurre, June 30).
31. God krizisa, II: 105–6 (AVP RF, f. 059, op. 1, pap. 302, d. 2090, l. 171–2: Surits, July 19, 1939); Gromyko et al., SSSR v bor’be za mir nakanune, 496–7.
32. Duhanovs et al., 1939, 46–85.
33. Gromyko et al., SSSR v bor’be za mir nakanune, DK266.A3 S2 1971; Gromyko et al. (eds.), Soviet Peace Efforts on the Eve of World War II (Moscow: Progress, 1973), 363. Lithuania further feared that Poland would immediately announce its own acceptance of a Soviet guarantee if Lithuania did so and that Hitler would blame Poland’s action on Lithuania and take revenge. DVP SSSR, XXII/i: 545–6 (AVP RF, f. 06, op. 1, pap. 12, d. 126, l. 1–2: Pozdnyakov report to Molotov, July 19, 1939).
34. DVP SSSR, XXII/i: 449 (AVP RF, f. 059, op. 1, pap. 301, d. 2079, l. 186–7); Pravda, June 13, 1939.
