Petrograd, 5 July 1935
Objective of Russian foreign policy is securing favorable international environment for Russia's peaceful economic, social, and political development. To secure this objective, Russia has signed defensive alliances with France and Atlantis, and nonaggression pacts with Nordmark, Germany, and Poland. Until recently, Russia's relations with her populous neighbor to the South, China, were developing rapidly as well, with a Russian yard building a warship for China's Navy and RosPoezd building a railroad line to advance China's economic development. When I succeeded President Kerensky in 1927, trends in Russia's foreign affairs were all favorable, with his initiative to revise Versailles Treaty terms applied to Germany just beginning to bear fruit.
Unfortunately, due to policy changes in several of Russia's neighbors, that can no longer be said.
After a tragic incident in which brother Slavs in Poland and Czechoslovakia shed one another's blood, Polish and Czechoslovak governments negotiated a peaceful resolution to a border conflict. I was proud that Russian government contributed to that development, and confident that precedent set by peaceful and amicable resolution of German-Polish border difficulties had been reinforced.
I must confess that confidence to have been bitterly disappointed.
Instead, Polish government have chosen, as materials acquired by Russian intelligence services show, to instigate and support with arms an uprising of ethnic Poles in Lithuania, which has already cost the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people.
And China's government, after asking questions expressing hypocritical concerns as to a mythical Russian threat to Lithuania's independence and territorial integrity when Russia began assisting Lithuania building fortifications, has sent a convoy, escorted by a warship, not to Lithuania whose independence and territorial integrity is under actual threat from Poland, but to Poland, the very source of that threat. Further, China's army has moved closer to her border with Russia.
We conclude that:
Polish government have decided on a policy of territorial expansion by force of arms.
Chinese government have decided to be an enemy to Russia.
A characteristic of Russian governments since 1917 has been: to look at facts clearly, assess them calmly, and to develop policy to address situations as they are. That is what President Kerensky did in March 1917, when he decided to make peace with German, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman Empires. And I will do so today.
Already, Russian forces in Western Special, Kiev Special, and Far Eastern Military Districts are mobilizing. But these reservists will be demobilized when present crisis is resolved. What is necessary is to expand Russia's standing "Active" forces, to two full Armies in these Districts.
This will expand standing numerical strength of Russia's Army to 2.9 million, with 75 Divisions in 6 "Active" Armies and 7 "Active" Corps as soon as these new forces can be trained and equipped, and with another 14 Armies available upon mobilization, with another 500,000 in Russia's Air Force, Air Defense Force, and Navy. Due to Russia's rapid economic and demographic growth since 1917, we can easily support this level. And previously announced expansion of Russia's Tank, Mechanized, and Motorized forces will continue.
Russia's enemies should know, that they will find Russian soldiers equipped with modern weapons, employed under advanced operational concepts, fighting with strength and determination that is a hallmark of Russian soldiers. They will also find that Russia has firm and powerful allies in Atlantis and France, and perhaps other major countries as well.
There is yet time for them to reconsider their ill-advised hostility to Russia and their ill-judged grabs for territory that does not belong to them.
This post has been edited 1 times, last edit by "AdmKuznetsov" (Jan 11th 2008, 9:32pm)