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Entry Six: A Mission to Moscow?
Entry Six: A Mission to Moscow?
A car sped down the dark Moscow streets. It was about 02:35 in the morning, Moscow was sleeping quietly. With little traffic on the road apart from the trucks of the feared NKVD Davies found it peaceful outside. Davies was no stranger to these conditions in Moscow, he had spent long periods of time in the Union and was quite aware of what happened in these early morning hours. When Wallace succeeded FDR, he shifted around the administration quite a bit. Davies liked Wallace as their foreign view of non-hostile relations with the Soviets aligned. How could he say no when the native Iowan requested he take up his old position of Soviet ambassador? Davies was on his way to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet with Molotov. Wallace had telephoned earlier that day expressing the utmost urgency over the meeting. Davies was to offer an extension of the Marshall Plan to the Soviet Union and its allies. Davies was cautious, it would be a tough sell to the Soviets. As his car approached the Ministry it was stopped at a checkpoint. A stern NKVD officer checked his papers before allowing the car to proceed, as the vehicle continued out the window Davies spotted an anti-aircraft battery still in position. The war hurt them badly, they need this economic aid as much as perhaps the krauts do Davies thought to himself.
His car finally arrived at the Ministry and he got out holding a briefcase in which he held the documents of the proposal. Upon entering the building and passing through security he walked up the marble steps. As he reached the top of the stairs he came upon the hallway filled with red banners of SSRs and of Lenin. Molotov was at the end of the hallway waiting for him. “Tovarisch Davies, please come into my office”. Molotov and Davies sat down in a comfortable tiny office. “Coffee? Vodka”? Molotov offered, “it’s a little too late for hard spirits but I’ll take some coffee”. Molotov poured him a cup, Davies sipped it. it was bitter but it got the job done. “So I take it President Wallace wanted to discuss this new Marshall Plan,” Molotov remarked. “Indeed”, Davies then opened his briefcase to pull out several documents of the plan. “The plan calls for a complete rebuilding of the European continent from the devastation inflicted upon it by the Nazis menace. Wallace recognizes this devastation impacted the Soviet Union greatly both in terms of economic devastation and population. In light of this, the President is willing to extend this plan towards the Soviet nation”. A pause filled the air, Molotov read over the documents intently but not with much enthusiasm.
A pause filled the air until it was filled by Molotov’s voice, “Who holds the majority in the Senate Mr. Ambassador”? Davies' face frowned, “the Republicans sir”. “Yes, and they wish not to extend this aid to the Union, right? “Are those your only reservations about this program”? Davies shot back. Molotov replied, “no, the primary concern of the Politburo is the influence that such aid and capital penetration into the Union would bring. Comrade Stalin is worried about an unhealthy capitalist deviationist strain developing in the motherland”. Again with the ideology, even with the country devastated Molotov “the hammer” along with the party was stubborn. Molotov sighed, “As much as we need to rebuild Mr ambassador we shall do it our own way and alone”. Silence gripped the room again, Wallace won’t like this but it's unlikely the Senate would’ve gone for the extension of this aid to the Soviets anyway Davies thought to himself. “You seem disappointed with our policy Mr. Davies”, “I fear that this rejection will trigger a backlash at home and harm relations between our respective nations” Davies replied quietly. “The future is uncertain Mr. Ambassador but let it be known the Soviet Union harbors no rivalry or ill will towards the United States of America”. “I will let the President know that,” Davies replied. The men shook hands and Davies exited the Ministry well, I tried he thought as he entered the ambassador's car.
Entry Six: A Mission to Moscow?
A car sped down the dark Moscow streets. It was about 02:35 in the morning, Moscow was sleeping quietly. With little traffic on the road apart from the trucks of the feared NKVD Davies found it peaceful outside. Davies was no stranger to these conditions in Moscow, he had spent long periods of time in the Union and was quite aware of what happened in these early morning hours. When Wallace succeeded FDR, he shifted around the administration quite a bit. Davies liked Wallace as their foreign view of non-hostile relations with the Soviets aligned. How could he say no when the native Iowan requested he take up his old position of Soviet ambassador? Davies was on his way to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet with Molotov. Wallace had telephoned earlier that day expressing the utmost urgency over the meeting. Davies was to offer an extension of the Marshall Plan to the Soviet Union and its allies. Davies was cautious, it would be a tough sell to the Soviets. As his car approached the Ministry it was stopped at a checkpoint. A stern NKVD officer checked his papers before allowing the car to proceed, as the vehicle continued out the window Davies spotted an anti-aircraft battery still in position. The war hurt them badly, they need this economic aid as much as perhaps the krauts do Davies thought to himself.
His car finally arrived at the Ministry and he got out holding a briefcase in which he held the documents of the proposal. Upon entering the building and passing through security he walked up the marble steps. As he reached the top of the stairs he came upon the hallway filled with red banners of SSRs and of Lenin. Molotov was at the end of the hallway waiting for him. “Tovarisch Davies, please come into my office”. Molotov and Davies sat down in a comfortable tiny office. “Coffee? Vodka”? Molotov offered, “it’s a little too late for hard spirits but I’ll take some coffee”. Molotov poured him a cup, Davies sipped it. it was bitter but it got the job done. “So I take it President Wallace wanted to discuss this new Marshall Plan,” Molotov remarked. “Indeed”, Davies then opened his briefcase to pull out several documents of the plan. “The plan calls for a complete rebuilding of the European continent from the devastation inflicted upon it by the Nazis menace. Wallace recognizes this devastation impacted the Soviet Union greatly both in terms of economic devastation and population. In light of this, the President is willing to extend this plan towards the Soviet nation”. A pause filled the air, Molotov read over the documents intently but not with much enthusiasm.
A pause filled the air until it was filled by Molotov’s voice, “Who holds the majority in the Senate Mr. Ambassador”? Davies' face frowned, “the Republicans sir”. “Yes, and they wish not to extend this aid to the Union, right? “Are those your only reservations about this program”? Davies shot back. Molotov replied, “no, the primary concern of the Politburo is the influence that such aid and capital penetration into the Union would bring. Comrade Stalin is worried about an unhealthy capitalist deviationist strain developing in the motherland”. Again with the ideology, even with the country devastated Molotov “the hammer” along with the party was stubborn. Molotov sighed, “As much as we need to rebuild Mr ambassador we shall do it our own way and alone”. Silence gripped the room again, Wallace won’t like this but it's unlikely the Senate would’ve gone for the extension of this aid to the Soviets anyway Davies thought to himself. “You seem disappointed with our policy Mr. Davies”, “I fear that this rejection will trigger a backlash at home and harm relations between our respective nations” Davies replied quietly. “The future is uncertain Mr. Ambassador but let it be known the Soviet Union harbors no rivalry or ill will towards the United States of America”. “I will let the President know that,” Davies replied. The men shook hands and Davies exited the Ministry well, I tried he thought as he entered the ambassador's car.
- RedHistorian1917
- Word Count: 710