1941: Anglo-Soviet Agreement
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Britain and the USSR signed an agreement for joint action in the war against Germany. They pledged to assist one another against Hitler and agreed that neither will make peace with Germany separately. The agreement was signed with immediate effect on 12 July 1941 by diplomats Sir Stafford Cripps and Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov. The newsreader is Alvar Lidell.
Sir Stafford Cripps was British Ambassador in Russia from June 1940 to January 1942 and was crucial in negotiating the entry of Russia into the war on the side of the Allies. Cripps has been accused of taking the Russian side but he was distrusted by Stalin, partly because he drank very little. Stalin's hospitality was renowned for involving large quantities of alcohol and he preferred negotiating with heavy drinkers.
Originally broadcast on 13 July 1941.