92. Dokumenty i materialy kanuna vtoroi mirovoi voiny, II: 212–8 (AVP RF, f. 06, op. 1a, pap. 25, d. 12, l. 3–12); God krizisa, II: 191–6. Drax suggested that if the negotiations were switched to London, he would be able to produce the desired confirmation of his plenipotentiary powers. Someone remarked, to general laughter, that it would be simpler to have the documents sent to Moscow than to bring all the delegations to London. Kuznetsov, Nakanune, 247.
93. Young, In Command of France, 239.
94. Overy, 1939: Countdown, 13 (Borthwick Archive, University of York, Halifax Papers, A4.410.12/1).
95. Dokumenty i materialy kanuna vtoroi mirovoi voiny, II: 218–23 (AVP RF, f. 06, op. 1a, pap. 25, d. 12, l. 13–22, Aug. 13, 1939), II: 239–47 (AVP RF, f. 06, op. 1a, pap. 25, d. 12, l. 48–59, Aug. 15, 1939); God krizisa, II: 196–202, 202–7, 220–8.
96. “He that commands the sea,” Sir Francis Bacon had explained of British strategy already in the seventeenth century, “is at great liberty, and may take as much and as little of the war as he will.” Bacon, “Of the True Greatness of Kingdoms and Estates” [1612, enlarged 1625], as cited in Corbett, Some Principles of Maritime Strategy, 55.
97. Ponomarev, Pokoriteli neba, 68–75.
98. Schorske, “Two German Diplomats,” 508. On Aug. 11, 1939, firm intelligence that Germany’s attack on Poland was imminent reached the war office in London, effectively rendering further British moves toward Berlin a show to ensure that responsibility for the outbreak of war fell on Germany. Hinsley et al., British Intelligence, I: 83n.
99. Schnurre summoned Astakhov on Aug. 13 (a Sunday) to convey agreement to conduct talks in Moscow. God krizisa, II: 185 (AVP RF, f. 06, op. 1, pap. 7, d. 70, l. 1–2); DVP SSSR, XXII/i: 603, 606–7; DGFP, series D, VII: 62–4 (Ribbentrop to Schulenburg, Aug. 14), 68–9 (Weizsäcker to Schulenburg, Aug. 15). Interactions with Astakhov in Berlin had indicated to the Germans that an agreement was likely. DGFP, series D, VII: 17–20 (Schnurre to Berlin, Aug. 10, 1939), 20–1 (Schnurre to Schulenburg in Berlin, Aug. 10), 58–9 (Schnurre to Moscow embassy, Aug. 14).
100. Sontag and Beddie, Nazi-Soviet Relations, 50–2 (Ribbentrop to Schulenburg), 52–3 (Schulenburg to German foreign ministry), 53–7 (Schulenburg), 57 (Schulenburg); Die Beziehungen, 55–7 (Ribbentrop’s original instructions and Schulenburg’s amendments); God krizisa, II: 229–31 (AVP RF, f. 0745, op. 14, pap. 32, d. 3, l. 33–6), 232–3 (l. 37–9); Volkogonov, Stalin: Triumph and Tragedy, 353 (citing AVP RF, f. 0745, op. 15, pap. 38, d. 8, l. 126–8).
101. Also on Aug. 15, the Soviet military attaché in Tokyo reported that Japanese ruling circles remained gridlocked over a military alliance with Germany and Italy: the key players wanted the alliance to be directed solely against the USSR, while Berlin and Rome wanted to add Japan to their alliance against the Western powers. Gromyko et al., SSSR v bor’be za mir nakanune, 583; The attaché was L. A. Mishin.
102. Lota, “Alta” protiv “Barbarossy,” 70, 72 (no citation).
103. Sontag and Beddie, Nazi-Soviet Relations, 61–3 (Ribbentrop to Schulenburg, received in Moscow at 5:45 a.m. on Aug. 19).
104. Gorodetsky, Grand Delusion, 7 (citing RGVA, f. [unspecified], op. 9157, d. 2, l. 418–31, 447, 453–4).
105. Sontag and Beddie, Nazi-Soviet Relations, 64–5 (Schulenburg to foreign ministry, Aug. 19, 1939), 65–6; God krizisa, II: 269–71 (AVP RF, f. 0745, op. 14, pap. 32, d. 3, l. 40–3), 271–3 (l. 44, 45–6), 274–6 (l. 47–51), 277–8 (l. 52–3), 280–91 (AVP RF, f. 03a, d. 05 Germaniia); DGFP, series D, VII: 134 (Schulenburg to Berlin, Aug. 19, 1939); Read and Fisher, Deadly Embrace, 214. Britain knew as well: Group Captain Malcom Christie, a former British air attaché who had excellent contacts among senior German officers and others hostile to Hitler, reported secret leaks to Sir Robert Vansittart (the retired undersecretary of the foreign office), who relayed the reports to the government. On June 27, 1939, Christie conveyed that the German mobilization for Poland would begin from Aug. 1 and be completed by the 27th. On Aug. 17, Christie reported that the war would commence between Aug. 25 and 28. Overy, 1939: Countdown, 23 (citing Churchill College, Cambridge, Christie Papers, CHRS I/29B); Andrew, Secret Service, 429.
