Stalin said that he had heard many praises addressed to the Red Army. Of course, we can admit, without bragging, that this is really a valiant, brave and glorious army, but it still has many drawbacks. This is a big army, it is waging a big war. Together with the people serving its immediate rear, it has approximately 12 million people. These 12 million people are different people. One should not think that they are all angels.
The Red Army has entered Czechoslovakia, and now Czechoslovaks will get to know it better, they will also know its shortcomings. The Red Army is moving forward, winning great victories, but it still has many shortcomings. The Red Army fought a long way from Stalingrad to the gates of Berlin. Its fighters did not go this way as tourists, they went this way under fire, and they defeated the Germans. They think they're heroes. That's what almost all the Red Army fighters think, at least most of the Red Army fighters think. The less cultured people are, the more they think about it.
They consider themselves heroes and think that they can afford excesses. They believe that they will be forgiven for these excesses because they are heroes. They have come a long and difficult way under enemy fire, and each of them thinks that tomorrow he will be struck by an enemy bullet. Stalin said that these fighters often do outrages, rape girls. Stalin said that he wanted the Czechoslovaks not to be too fascinated by the Red Army, so that then they would not be too disappointed. He, Stalin wants the Czechoslovaks to understand psychology, to understand the soul of an ordinary soldier of the Red Army, so that they understand his experiences, that he risked his life all the time, went a long and hard way.
Stalin said that he was raising a glass to the Czechoslovaks to understand and apologize to the Red Army soldiers.
The second speech of J. V. Stalin
Stalin said that he was raising his glass to the new Slavophiles. He, Stalin himself is a new Slavophile. There were old Slavophiles, one of whose leaders was the famous Russian publicist Aksakov. They performed during the tsarist era, and these Slavophiles were reactionaries. They advocated the unification of all Slavs in one state under the auspices of the Russian tsar.
“We, the new Slavophiles, stand for the union of independent Slavic states.”
The First World War was played out on the backs of the Slavic peoples. We see that the Second World War is going on the backs of the Slavic peoples. England and Germany are fighting, and the Slavic peoples are shedding their blood.
France did not fight, it let the Germans into its borders, and we can say that it was not occupied. Belgium and Holland did not fight – they obediently lay down in front of the Germans and raised their paws up. England? England is on the islands, and its position is special. Who suffered from the German robbery, from the German occupation? Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union. Bulgaria tried to avoid this, tried to save herself, but not everything turned out well for her. In general, it turns out that "the lords are fighting, and the slaves' forelocks are shaking."
Stalin said that he hated the Germans. But nevertheless he, Stalin, I must admit that the Germans are a strong and capable people. They have good personnel, military, industrial and others. After the defeat they will suffer in this war, they will try to revive within the next 15 years.
Kalinin exclaimed: "Revenge!"
Stalin said that yes, the Germans would try to take revenge. Stalin said that those who think that the Germans will not be able to do this will miscalculate. Some Englishmen are again talking about the balance of power. If the British are half-friends of Germany, they will miscalculate and lose on this. We are beating the Germans now, and we will beat them if and when they decide to raise and unleash a new war. But in order to prevent the Germans from rising up and starting a new war, an alliance of Slavic peoples is needed.
We, the new Slavophiles, are communists, if you want — Bolsheviks.
They think about us that we want to establish the Soviet system everywhere. That's not so. When the Red Army came to Bulgaria, some people tried to establish Soviets there, but we said that this should not be done. We want every nation to have the system it deserves. We are not going to introduce the Soviet system in Czechoslovakia.
Addressing Benes, Stalin said that he, Benes, probably had doubts about this. Stalin said it was Benes' right. But he, Stalin wants the Czechoslovaks to understand that he speaks sincerely and that he says what he thinks.
In conclusion of his speech, Stalin raised a glass to the union and friendship of independent Slavic peoples, large and small.
Call Number: AP RF. F. 45. Op. 1. D. 393. L. 57-59.
Note
At the head of the Czechoslovak delegation, E. Benes was in Moscow from March 17 to March 31, 1945, traveling from London to his homeland. During this visit, a new Czechoslovak government was formed, a program of its actions was developed and adopted. On March 28, a dinner in honor of the President of the Czechoslovak Republic was given in the Catherine Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace. On March 31, Benes, the government formed in Moscow and the Soviet ambassador to Czechoslovakia, V.A. Zorin, left for the liberated territory of Slovakia in the city of Kosice.
In addition to this recording made by V.M. Molotov's secretary B.D. Podtserob, another recording of the same speeches made by V.A. Malyshev is known:
Stalin, after a series of toasts to the Red Army, said the following:
“Everyone praises our Red Army. Yes, army deserved it. But I would like our guests, being fascinated by the Red Army, not to be disappointed later.
The fact is that there are about 12 million people in the Red Army now. These people are far from angels. These people got rough during the war. Many of them have fought 2,000 kilometers: from Stalingrad to the middle of Czechoslovakia.
They have seen a lot of grief and atrocities on their way. So don't be surprised if some of our people in your country behave the wrong way. We know that some, little-conscious soldiers harass and insult girls and women, and are outraged. Let our Czechoslovak friends know this now, so that the charm of our Red Army would not be replaced by disappointment.”
The second speech of Stalin was about Slavophiles.
Stalin said the following:
“Now there is a lot of talk about Slavophilism and Slavophiles. We are often compared to the old Slavophiles of tsarist times. This is wrong.
The old Slavophiles, for example Aksakov and others, demanded the unification of all Slavs under the Russian tsar. They did not understand that this was a harmful idea and impossible. Slavic peoples have different social and ethnographic ways of life, have different cultural levels and different socio-political structure. The geographical position of the Slavic peoples also hinders unification.
We, the new Slavophiles-Leninists, Slavophiles-Bolsheviks, Communists, stand not for unification, but for the union of the Slavic peoples. We believe that regardless of the difference in political and social status, regardless of everyday and ethnographic differences, all Slavs should be in alliance with each other against our common enemy — the Germans.
The whole history of the life of the Slavs teaches that this union is necessary for us to protect the Slavs.
Take at least the last two world wars? Why did they start? Because of the Slavs. The Germans wanted to enslave the Slavs. Who suffered the most from these wars? Both in the First and in the Second World War, the Slavic peoples suffered the most: Russia, Ukraine, Belarusians, Serbs, Czechs, Slovaks, Poles.
Isn't it the same in this war? Has France suffered more? No. The French opened the front to the Germans. The Germans slightly occupied the northern part of France, and the southern part was not even touched. And Belgium and Holland immediately raised their paws up and lay down in front of the Germans. England got off with a little destruction. And take how seriously Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia suffered. One Bulgaria that wanted to dodge and maneuver, and she got caught. It means that the Slavs suffered the most from the Germans. Now we are beating the Germans hard, and it seems to many that the Germans will never be able to threaten us. No, it's not.
I hate the Germans. But hatred should not prevent us from objectively assessing the Germans. The Germans are a great people. Very good technicians and organizers. Good, born brave soldiers. It is impossible to destroy the Germans, they will remain.
We are beating the Germans, and the matter is coming to an end. But it must be borne in mind that the Allies will try to save the Germans and conspire with them. We will be merciless to the Germans, and the Allies will try to treat them mildly. Therefore, we Slavs must be prepared for the fact that the Germans can get back on their feet and speak out against the Slavs. That is why we, the new Slavophiles-Leninists, so persistently call for the union of the Slavic peoples.
There is talk that we want to impose the Soviet system on the Slavic peoples. This is empty talk. We do not want this, because we know that the Soviet system is not exported abroad at will, appropriate conditions are required for this.
We could have established the Soviet system in Bulgaria, they wanted it there. But we didn't go for it. In the Slavic countries friendly to us, we want to have truly democratic governments.
Having concluded an alliance, the Slavic peoples can provide economic and military assistance to each other. We can do this now with success.
Therefore, I drink to the Union of Slavic peoples.”
Source: "Istochnik". 1997. No. 5. pp. 127-128
In general, it can be seen that the recording of the Subcerob is more specific, closer to shorthand. Some of the points noted by Malyshev only in general are set out in detail in the record of the Subcerob. In particular, the final parts of the toasts at the Subcerob look exactly like emotionally and meaningfully accented logical endings of the previous arguments. At the same time, the passage reflected in Malyshev is interesting that "the Soviet system is not exported abroad", which is absent in the record of the Sub-church.
Obviously, both entries made by the authors from memory complement each other well. The current publication of the archival version, together with Malyshev's long-known record, gives an accurate idea of the nature of the relationship between the countries of Eastern Europe liberated from the fascist yoke, which Stalin defended.
His forecast of the development of the political situation in post-fascist Europe turned out to be more than prescient. The rapid unilateral rejection of the Potsdam Agreements by the former Western allies, their deliberate delay in resolving the German issue (signing a peace treaty and reuniting the occupation zones within the framework of a new unified democratic state), the remilitarization of West Germany, which had already become a fact by 1950, confirmed Stalin's worst fears. These steps of the imperialist West, contrary to the wishes of the USSR, objectively pushed the social-democratic and communist governments of the countries of Eastern Europe on the path of forced Sovietization and the transition to the construction of socialism. Meanwhile, as can be clearly seen from the published document, Stalin was primarily a supporter of strengthening friendly political and economic ties between the Slavic countries, which, obviously, was considered by him as the main guarantee of a distant socialist perspective in these countries.
