M. LITVINOFF'S ACHIEVEMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 23, 27 January 1934, Page 19

M. LITVINOFF'S ACHIEVEMENTS

On December 8 M. Litvinoff left Berlin on the last stage of his journey home, after a tour which winds up a quito remarkable series of diplomatic successes (writes Norman Ewer, in "The Listener"). He: left Moscow a couple of months ago. In those two months he has made an agreement with President Roosevelt d that ends the seventeen years' estrangement between the United States and Soviet Russia. The now American Ambassador will be in Moscow next week. And on his way back Litvinoff stopped in Eome, talked with Signor Mussolini, and arranged for the immediate ratification of a,. Russo-Italian treaty of friendship and, non-aggression. ~ That is a good two months' work for a Foreign Minister. But for Litvinoff it is only one end of a year of really remarkable achievement. In the last twelve months he has made a whole series.of pacts of non-aggres-sion with all: Russia's European neighbours. .So that East Europe, which was once a danger zone, is now the safest part of the Continent. He has signed treaties with France, and France and Russia are now on the, most, cor dial terms. .In London during the; suuininer he and. Sir John.Simon, in two on three days' talks, smoothed out the dangerous Anglo-Russian quarrel that

had followed the Moscow trials. And now to crown it all comes the restoration of "diplomatic relations" with the United States and the treaty of friendship between Bolshevist Russia and Fascist Italy. Not a bad year's work, that. And quite a lot of it is due to his own personality, ■"■•'..'■■ - •

I knew him first'twenty, years ago. Then he was "Mr. Harrison," ,a refugee in London, teaching and translating Russian for a living. It would have seemed mad then if anyone had prophesied that in 1933 "Mr. Harrison" would be Russian Foreign Minister and the guest of the American' President in the White House. But he is still the same simple, unassuming^ Litvinoff. A little stouter,, a little greyer; getting a bit bald. You/might take himlfora business maii; more likely.', for some kind of artist, say a novelist. or a musician. He is shrewd, politically Competent, very patient, very straightforward, and with a'sense of humour that is a big asset to a diplomatist.

Sir John Simdn said .the other day that Litvinoff had made the only good ,ioke of the1 Disarmament Conference. That's not quit© fair to' other people. There have been lots of- good jokes. But Litvinoff has certainly been responsible for-quite a number of them;