Chapter 93:
Chapter 93
“Welcome! Welcome! Please come in.”
The former liquor merchant, the current German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop, warmly welcomed Molotov’s visit.
They had already shared a glorious record of dividing Poland and signing the Non-Aggression Pact.
Ribbentrop, who was worried that his position as Foreign Minister would be shaken by the war, opposed the war with the Soviet Union and wanted to prolong the ceasefire agreement.
But the Führer’s reaction was cold.
Where did his enthusiastic attitude go when he signed the Non-Aggression Pact for the first time?
Hitler leaned back in his chair and rummaged through the proposal that the Soviet Union had sent. From his expression, Molotov could tell one thing for sure.
The gentleman’s agreement was not going to work.
‘I never thought it would.’
“What use is there for something that cannot be used in war? In the end, the winner decides everything.”
“I regret to say, Führer, that we are still not using gas and biological weapons according to the Geneva Protocol.”
“Yes, it’s a pity indeed.”
“…”
Seeing Hitler openly regretting, Ribbentrop tried to make the atmosphere better by laughing awkwardly.
Molotov kept his mouth shut and observed the Führer.
If he really intended to use chemical and biological weapons, the Soviet Union had to prepare for it.
Was he just bluffing? Or did he really want to be the scourge of the world?
The Secretary-General had already warned him that he did not know what Germany would do when cornered.
Germany was not that desperate yet…
“Since you are here, rest well. A banquet is prepared, so please attend.”
“I understand, Führer.”
Hitler dismissed him with a wave of his hand and ordered the guests to leave.
The burly SS soldiers surrounded the Soviet delegation threateningly and ‘escorted’ them out of the meeting room.
Through the gap between them, Molotov peeked at Hitler.
“Führer? Führer?”
“What is it?”
“Did you receive our gifts well…?”
Hitler’s eyebrows rose slightly.
The Soviet delegation did not come to propose peace, but rather offered a gentleman’s agreement that looked like it and brought wrapped gifts.
He wondered if there was any conspiracy to harm the Nazi high-ranking officials. Skilled experts were carefully examining these ‘gifts’, but since everything was written in documents, everyone had a look at them once.
“Hmm, yes. I appreciate your gifts… But don’t think they will have any influence on diplomacy.”
“Of course not.”
As if that was enough, Molotov left the meeting room with a somewhat cheerful expression.
He was chewing over the verbal order that Stalin had given him.
The Soviet Politburo and Stavka had been collecting information diligently for a long time.
Among them, they paid special attention to Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany, which was the worst hypothetical enemy.
They tried to predict his behavior by collecting information on his whereabouts, ideology, and so on.
They tried to find out everything about Adolf Hitler, a unique human being. His ideology, taste, speech, appetite, everything.
The results were somewhat memorized by Molotov and the Soviet delegates.
***
“Doesn’t he seem different somehow…?”
“How… How so?”
Stalin asked from two thousand kilometers away in Kremlin.
How could he know if Hitler had changed while he was stuck in Berlin or K?nigsberg?
Molotov was curious but did not argue with Stalin’s words.
It was not enough evidence to say that he had changed just by breaking the Non-Aggression Pact. But anyway, Stalin’s expression was serious.
“The reason I’m sending you like this is to observe Hitler’s every move closely. I don’t care if you don’t sign a gentleman’s agreement. Just watch how Hitler acts and come back.”
“Yes, I understand. Comrade Secretary-General.”
He probably chose Molotov himself because he was the only big shot who could visit Germany for negotiations and had met Hitler face-to-face before.
Stalin did not explain further but Molotov had a rough idea.
Stalin seemed to have changed a bit personally as well.
He had criticized Molotov before the war broke out and even rumored to have tried to purge him.
He hung out with Beria who hated him and favored Khrushchev who was now kicked out of power.
But now he was wary of Beria and used ‘old boys’ like Borosilov, Molotov, and Zhdanov as his close allies again. He did not seem to have changed much personally but he became less suspicious and more pragmatic.
It was probably a shock for him that Germany, which he trusted like iron, started a war.
So he wanted him to see what kind of change Hitler had gone through.
***
“Doesn’t it look right…?”
“Yes… Yes, it does. Comrade Foreign People’s Commissar.”
Hitler was cold to the Soviet delegation throughout.
He cut off Molotov who tried to bring up the negotiation again as if he was not worth bargaining with.
He did not care about ruining the mood of the dinner and just ate the salmon carpaccio on his plate.
Molotov whispered to his attendant and nodded.
He clapped three times and stood up.
“I would like to thank the German officials for inviting us to this occasion. Especially, the Führer.”
He bowed his head slightly as he mentioned the Führer.
The officials who were bored with the dull banquet also responded with applause.
After all, many of them remembered the honeymoon relationship with the Soviet Union.
The relations were strained by the Romanian, Finnish, and Baltic issues and eventually a war started, but the Soviet Union helped Germany rearm by providing various resources and materials through the British blockade and participated in the partition of Poland as a ‘friend’.
Most of them hated communists but they had at least some manners to treat their guests.
“What we brought as ‘gifts’ have passed the quarantine process. I would like to present them in front of you all… If that’s alright?”
“Go ahead.”
Hitler nodded indifferently.
“Gifts? What gifts? What did they bring?”
“Didn’t you hear the rumor?”
Except for a few who knew everything as Hitler’s core confidants, everyone was curious.
Molotov had mentioned ‘Stalin’s gifts’ several times, but he had kept quiet about their specific identity, whether deliberately or not.
People wondered. What kind of gifts did the leader of that red country send?
Ribbentrop smiled and ordered the guards who were guarding the banquet hall.
The huge door opened and people carrying something square wrapped in white cloth came in.
The size of the items varied. Some were small enough to be held with both hands, and some required two people to carry them with difficulty.
“What are those? Where did they get those paintings?”
“I don’t know, but they must have spent a lot of money.”
“They’re giving them all to us?”
From classical works to modern ones.
There was no connection between them, but anyway, the Soviet delegation brought famous and expensive works and handed them over to Germany.
Many people did not know much about art, but they looked expensive and they had heard the names of the painters, so they applauded every time Ribbentrop introduced a work.
Hitler, who looked gloomy, also seemed a little interested. Well, he was still chewing on a sausage and glancing at them occasionally.
G?ring, who was greedy for art, looked at the paintings with a drooling face.
When the works were introduced and left one by one, his eyes followed them.
Maybe he could snatch a few of them. He had a greedy expression on his face.
“…That concludes the introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you.”
Ribbentrop bowed gracefully and thanked everyone. Everyone started clapping enthusiastically.
Except for Hitler.
The Soviet delegates who attended the banquet all stood up and bowed their heads in gratitude for the welcome.
The applause lasted for quite a while.
No one noticed that one of the Soviet delegates was missing.
***
[The Führer’s reaction is cold]
The Soviet delegation communicated with their homeland through wireless telegraphy and received orders.
They were allowed to use the telegraph machine.
Of course, this was being secretly monitored by Germany, and the Soviet Union knew this too, so they could not send any confidential information.
But what one of the delegates sent was very simple and brief.
The Abwehr officer who was in charge of watching the Soviets recorded it and attached it to his report. He did not care about it.
He did not want the war with the Soviet Union to stop. He wanted to wipe out those dirty Jewish-Bolshevik reds from the earth, even if he had to negotiate with America.
If we stop the war now and fight with America, they will wait for an opportunity to stab us in the back like we did. The officer thought.
“Good for him. Those filthy red bastards.”
The Führer’s judgment was right.
Maybe they had ulterior motives.
It would be nice to see Stalin, that devil, eat shit and panic.
***
[The Führer’s reaction is cold]
The telegram sent by the delegation came up to me through the NKVD.
As I thought. It was what I expected.
“Proceed as planned.”
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