Hat In Hand

Russian diplomats last week were in a scurry, trying in a few days to undo their work of the last two years. While the Non-Aggression Pact with Germany was in force Russia had nimbly followed the Nazis' lead, as one country after another fell prey to Hitler, disowning their exiled governments, recognizing German sovereignty or puppet regimes. Now, as a half-digested German conquest herself, she wanted to make friends.

Fortunately for Russia, most of the friends she wanted were in London. Huddled there like a little League of Nations were the exiled governments of Czechoslovakia, Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Yugoslavia. How close they huddled was evident when their kings, queens and ministers called on King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (see cut). Hat in hand, Russia's Ambassador to the Court of St. James's, Ivan M. Maisky, spent his week bustling from one to the other. By the week's end, thanks largely to Maisky, Russia had:

> Reached an agreement with the Czechoslovaks, arranged for a "Czech legion" to fight with the Red Army.

> Resumed diplomatic relations with Yugoslavia, Greece, Belgium, Norway.

> Tried to do the same with Poland. But Polish-Russian relations were somewhat complicated by Russia's grab of half of Poland in 1939, the fact that Russia still holds 200,000 Polish prisoners of war.

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