What do you think?
Rate this book
Annals of Communism
The Maisky Diaries: Red Ambassador to the Court of St James's, 1932-1943
The terror and purges of Stalin’s Russia in the 1930s discouraged Soviet officials from leaving documentary records let alone keeping personal diaries. A remarkable exception is the unique diary assiduously kept by Ivan Maisky, the Soviet ambassador to London between 1932 and 1943. This selection from Maisky's diary, never before published in English, grippingly documents Britain’s drift to war during the 1930s, appeasement in the Munich era, negotiations leading to the signature of the Ribbentrop–Molotov Pact, Churchill’s rise to power, the German invasion of Russia, and the intense debate over the opening of the second front.
Maisky was distinguished by his great sociability and access to the key players in British public life. Among his range of regular contacts were politicians (including Churchill, Chamberlain, Eden, and Halifax), press barons (Beaverbrook), ambassadors (Joseph Kennedy), intellectuals (Keynes, Sidney and Beatrice Webb), writers (George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells), and indeed royalty. His diary further reveals the role personal rivalries within the Kremlin played in the formulation of Soviet policy at the time. Scrupulously edited and checked against a vast range of Russian and Western archival evidence, this extraordinary narrative diary offers a fascinating revision of the events surrounding the Second World War.
Maisky was distinguished by his great sociability and access to the key players in British public life. Among his range of regular contacts were politicians (including Churchill, Chamberlain, Eden, and Halifax), press barons (Beaverbrook), ambassadors (Joseph Kennedy), intellectuals (Keynes, Sidney and Beatrice Webb), writers (George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells), and indeed royalty. His diary further reveals the role personal rivalries within the Kremlin played in the formulation of Soviet policy at the time. Scrupulously edited and checked against a vast range of Russian and Western archival evidence, this extraordinary narrative diary offers a fascinating revision of the events surrounding the Second World War.
632 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2015
32 people are currently reading
493 people want to read
About the author
Ivan Maisky
11 books1 followerIvan Mikhailovich Maisky (Russian: Иван Михайлович Майский) was a Soviet diplomat, historian and politician, notable as the Soviet Union's Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1932 to 1943, including much of the period of the Second World War.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 4, 2017
This volume presents the abridged and translated diaries of Ivan Maisky, Soviet ambassador to the United Kingdom, between 1932 and 1943. The text was a fortunate discovery by a professor at Tel Aviv University, Gabriel Gorodetsky.
The life of an ambassador, as you'd expect, is at first filled with grand fetes, access to the highest levels of British politics, and friendships with literary figures such as Beatrice Webb, George Bernard Shaw, and H. G. Wells. He attends coronations, royal weddings, the Lord Mayor of London's dinner, and marvels at 'semi-barbarian' bagpipe music. Small wonder that Stalin and Molotov may have feared he'd gone native.
As we now know, this was not a time for parties and socializing. Maisky took on the fraught role of being the Soviet Union's representative in a time of increased diplomatic tensions from the rise of Hitler, and the outbreak of war in 1939. He is stunned by the House of Lords' 'boot-licking' to Hitler and Chamberlain's need for appeasement, but he is also blindsided by his own government's making a deal with the devil -- the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact over the Baltic States and Poland.
Maisky has a difficult balancing act to go through here - his bosses are suspicious of British and French leadership, for their open hostility to the Soviets, or to their lack of willpower in resisting Hitler's aggression. Maisky takes the risk of cultivating relationships with more aggressive figures within British leadership to garner future support, but that is dangerous because his bosses would not tolerate too much of a free agent or an independent thinker.
Ultimately, he became too popular and close to British leadership for Stalin to tolerate. He was withdrawn in 1943, and assigned to menial jobs. He was arrested in 1953, and probably would have been executed had Stalin not died in March of that year. He went on to write his memoirs, with Gorodetsky notes are not as vivid or immediate as these diaries. They seem a bit too censored, or too polished, where these diaries discuss events as they happen, and remember important details and the courses of conversations.
Maisky noted that he once might have been a writer, and his literary flair stops this from just being a schedule book. He may have written with an 'eye to history', with the idea that this may have been read by a historian some day. Even so, it is a rare pleasure to see how statemanship and diplomacy unfold, in real time. No doubt the complete version will be even an even greater bounty to historians and readers alike.
The life of an ambassador, as you'd expect, is at first filled with grand fetes, access to the highest levels of British politics, and friendships with literary figures such as Beatrice Webb, George Bernard Shaw, and H. G. Wells. He attends coronations, royal weddings, the Lord Mayor of London's dinner, and marvels at 'semi-barbarian' bagpipe music. Small wonder that Stalin and Molotov may have feared he'd gone native.
As we now know, this was not a time for parties and socializing. Maisky took on the fraught role of being the Soviet Union's representative in a time of increased diplomatic tensions from the rise of Hitler, and the outbreak of war in 1939. He is stunned by the House of Lords' 'boot-licking' to Hitler and Chamberlain's need for appeasement, but he is also blindsided by his own government's making a deal with the devil -- the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact over the Baltic States and Poland.
Maisky has a difficult balancing act to go through here - his bosses are suspicious of British and French leadership, for their open hostility to the Soviets, or to their lack of willpower in resisting Hitler's aggression. Maisky takes the risk of cultivating relationships with more aggressive figures within British leadership to garner future support, but that is dangerous because his bosses would not tolerate too much of a free agent or an independent thinker.
Ultimately, he became too popular and close to British leadership for Stalin to tolerate. He was withdrawn in 1943, and assigned to menial jobs. He was arrested in 1953, and probably would have been executed had Stalin not died in March of that year. He went on to write his memoirs, with Gorodetsky notes are not as vivid or immediate as these diaries. They seem a bit too censored, or too polished, where these diaries discuss events as they happen, and remember important details and the courses of conversations.
Maisky noted that he once might have been a writer, and his literary flair stops this from just being a schedule book. He may have written with an 'eye to history', with the idea that this may have been read by a historian some day. Even so, it is a rare pleasure to see how statemanship and diplomacy unfold, in real time. No doubt the complete version will be even an even greater bounty to historians and readers alike.
September 11, 2015
A remarkable and rare insight into 1930s and 40s Anglo-Soviet relations.
Editor Gabriel Gorodetsky has compiled a fascinating account of diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom using the never before published in English diaries of Soviet Ambassador Ivan Maisky.
Gorodetsky provides excellent background detail to the events that Maiskey describes making it easy to understand some of the diplomatic language as well as highlighting areas in the diaries where Maisky is somewhat “economical with the truth”. In order to “correct” Maisky’s account Gorodetsky has checked the diaries against various collections including private papers and reports of the Foreign Office.
Particularly interesting are the periods from before the Soviet non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany in 1939 and the intense anti-Soviet hostility as a result of this and the Winter War with Finland through to the start of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941
Maisky comes across as a humorous, affable fellow who succeeded in walking a tightrope between maintaining his integrity as a professional diplomat and surviving the vagaries of Stalin’s regime. Whilst adhering to the Soviet cause he independently tried to influence events in his own way by reporting back to Moscow his ideas as though they’d been presented by British politicians.
There’s some great candid pen portraits of Churchill, Chamberlain, Eden, and Halifax, Beaverbrook as well as Lloyd George and George Bernard Shaw.
Recommended for anyone interested in politics , diplomacy and the characters that made the key British decisions of World War 2.
Editor Gabriel Gorodetsky has compiled a fascinating account of diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom using the never before published in English diaries of Soviet Ambassador Ivan Maisky.
Gorodetsky provides excellent background detail to the events that Maiskey describes making it easy to understand some of the diplomatic language as well as highlighting areas in the diaries where Maisky is somewhat “economical with the truth”. In order to “correct” Maisky’s account Gorodetsky has checked the diaries against various collections including private papers and reports of the Foreign Office.
Particularly interesting are the periods from before the Soviet non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany in 1939 and the intense anti-Soviet hostility as a result of this and the Winter War with Finland through to the start of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941
Maisky comes across as a humorous, affable fellow who succeeded in walking a tightrope between maintaining his integrity as a professional diplomat and surviving the vagaries of Stalin’s regime. Whilst adhering to the Soviet cause he independently tried to influence events in his own way by reporting back to Moscow his ideas as though they’d been presented by British politicians.
There’s some great candid pen portraits of Churchill, Chamberlain, Eden, and Halifax, Beaverbrook as well as Lloyd George and George Bernard Shaw.
Recommended for anyone interested in politics , diplomacy and the characters that made the key British decisions of World War 2.
October 16, 2015
Ivan Maisky was the Soviet ambassador to London from 1932 to 1943 and kept detailed diaries of his time in the post, risky though this was when the secret police could visit at any time. Discovered in a Soviet archive in 1993, they constitute a fascinating insight into the people and events he was privy to, full of gossip and anecdote as well as his political views. Reading other peoples’ diaries can often be a tedious experience but these are unusually compelling and the selection the reader is presented with here has been very well chosen. The accompanying commentary is both helpful and interesting in itself. There’s an immediacy and an honesty in Maisky’s views and opinions that makes this a book for everyone with any interest at all not only in the period but also in Soviet thinking and attitudes, both the official party-line as well as Maisky’s own personal stance. A valuable and important historical document as well as great reading.
May 8, 2016
Diaries, memoirs, letters, and other autobiographical materials can be intriguing and even valuable, but they also raise warnings about their credibility and usefulness as sources. After all, everyone has a perspective and the more skillful and prolific a writer the more capably presented that writer's perspective will be. Caveat emptor!
Diplomatic memoirs and diaries are an intriguing subgroup of this literature. This is probably due to the idea diplomats being skilled representatives and observers, whose experiences are the sum total of all the important, dangerous, and consequential situations that they have had to deal with throughout their careers. Add to that the technological limitations in place before the world became flat and connected 24/7, and you add the possibility that diplomats could possibly influence important world developments and not just observe them. Diplomacy seems like a great career. It depends, however, and much diplomat work is no doubt more tedious and unimportant that diplomats may claim in their memoirs.
Ivan Maisky was the Soviet ambassador from the rise of Hitler until the turning of the tide in WWII. Maisky was an articulate and educated representative, whose ability to move easily within London elites made him the perfect person to navigate for his country during the rise of the Nazis and the run up to the war. He was not a rabid ideologue and his fit with the London elites probably extended his useful life (and actual life) in the era of ideological purity and Stalin's purges. Maisky started off as a Menshevik but came around to the Bolshevik line. Part of what makes his diary so interesting is how Maisky had to balance his interest with working with the British against his requirements as a representative of an increasingly hierarchical and totalitarian leadership. For example, the people he replaced in the London embassy eventually came to a bad end in Russia. So if you fail, you get recalled to an uncertain future. If on the other hand you succeed, you run afoul of being seen as an enemy agent of British imperialism. It is a wonder Maisky lasted in London as long as he did.
The diaries are not exhaustive but are still rich. The commentary provided by Gorodetsky is valuable. If you know the basic lines of history in play in the diaries, then the work is easy to follow and tie in with contemporary events. If your history is rusty, take the time to look up stray references that may seem obscure. Overall, the picture of Maisky that emerges is one of an amazingly capable and astute observer of some of the most interesting people of the century. Interactions with Churchill, Eden, and Halifax are especially interesting. His comments on English social life in the 1930s are also valuable. Maisky eventually ran afoul of Soviet politics, and was actually put on trial in the post-Stalin era. He was eventually exonerated, but it was a waste that his enormous contributions were not more widely recognized.
These diaries bring to mind the work and career of George Kennan. Such careers are not really feasible today in diplomacy, but careers such as Maisky and Kennan may still tempt people today to consider diplomacy as a career.
Diplomatic memoirs and diaries are an intriguing subgroup of this literature. This is probably due to the idea diplomats being skilled representatives and observers, whose experiences are the sum total of all the important, dangerous, and consequential situations that they have had to deal with throughout their careers. Add to that the technological limitations in place before the world became flat and connected 24/7, and you add the possibility that diplomats could possibly influence important world developments and not just observe them. Diplomacy seems like a great career. It depends, however, and much diplomat work is no doubt more tedious and unimportant that diplomats may claim in their memoirs.
Ivan Maisky was the Soviet ambassador from the rise of Hitler until the turning of the tide in WWII. Maisky was an articulate and educated representative, whose ability to move easily within London elites made him the perfect person to navigate for his country during the rise of the Nazis and the run up to the war. He was not a rabid ideologue and his fit with the London elites probably extended his useful life (and actual life) in the era of ideological purity and Stalin's purges. Maisky started off as a Menshevik but came around to the Bolshevik line. Part of what makes his diary so interesting is how Maisky had to balance his interest with working with the British against his requirements as a representative of an increasingly hierarchical and totalitarian leadership. For example, the people he replaced in the London embassy eventually came to a bad end in Russia. So if you fail, you get recalled to an uncertain future. If on the other hand you succeed, you run afoul of being seen as an enemy agent of British imperialism. It is a wonder Maisky lasted in London as long as he did.
The diaries are not exhaustive but are still rich. The commentary provided by Gorodetsky is valuable. If you know the basic lines of history in play in the diaries, then the work is easy to follow and tie in with contemporary events. If your history is rusty, take the time to look up stray references that may seem obscure. Overall, the picture of Maisky that emerges is one of an amazingly capable and astute observer of some of the most interesting people of the century. Interactions with Churchill, Eden, and Halifax are especially interesting. His comments on English social life in the 1930s are also valuable. Maisky eventually ran afoul of Soviet politics, and was actually put on trial in the post-Stalin era. He was eventually exonerated, but it was a waste that his enormous contributions were not more widely recognized.
These diaries bring to mind the work and career of George Kennan. Such careers are not really feasible today in diplomacy, but careers such as Maisky and Kennan may still tempt people today to consider diplomacy as a career.
Read
February 14, 2021https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX2pd...
Selam kitapçokseverler. Bu bölümümüzde Gabriel Gorodetsky'nin Rus arşivlerinde çalışırken tesadüf sonucu bulduğu, 1932’den 1943’e kadar Sovyetler Birliği’nin Londra Büyükelçisi olarak görev yapan İvan Mihayloviç Mayski’nin ortaya çıkan günlüklerini konuştuk.
“Sovyet arşivlerinde, II. Dünya Savaşı ve bu savaşın kökenlerine yeni bir ışık tutan; bu denli geniş kapsamlı, değerli ve hacimli başka bir kişisel belge yoktur.” diyor yazar Gorodestky. “Halkla ilişkiler” diye bir kavramın henüz tedavülde olmadığı yıllarda, mükemmel ilişkilere sahip olan Mayski, “sıradan” milletvekillerinden gazetecilere, sendikacılardan sanatçılara, yazarlardan aydınlara her kesimle temas ettiği pek çok kişiyle ilişkisinden bahsettiği günlüklerde bir bürokrattan öte, bir yazarın anılarını andırıyor. Lloyd George, Ramsay MacDonald, Kral V. George, VIII. Edward, Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, Joe Kennedy gibi pek çok siyasetçi, aydın ve yazarın da isminin geçtiği günlükler, 30’ların Avrupası’nı anlamak, özellikle sosyal ve siyasal bağlamda fikir edinebilmek için önemli bir kaynak.
İvan Mihayloviç Mayski'nin, görev yaptığı süre boyunca günlük tuttuğu günlüklerden yola çıkarak 30’ların sosyal, siyasal, kültürel ve ekonomik gelişmelerini ve Gorodetsky'nin hazırladığı notlarından İkinci Dünya Savaşına giden yıllarda bürokrasiyi, devletler arası ilişkileri, sosyalizmi, kapitalizmi sizlerle paylaşıyoruz.
Keyifli dinlemeleriniz olması dileğiyle.
okursohbetleri@gmail.com üzerinden görüş ve önerilerinizi bekleriz.
Sevgiler.
Selam kitapçokseverler. Bu bölümümüzde Gabriel Gorodetsky'nin Rus arşivlerinde çalışırken tesadüf sonucu bulduğu, 1932’den 1943’e kadar Sovyetler Birliği’nin Londra Büyükelçisi olarak görev yapan İvan Mihayloviç Mayski’nin ortaya çıkan günlüklerini konuştuk.
“Sovyet arşivlerinde, II. Dünya Savaşı ve bu savaşın kökenlerine yeni bir ışık tutan; bu denli geniş kapsamlı, değerli ve hacimli başka bir kişisel belge yoktur.” diyor yazar Gorodestky. “Halkla ilişkiler” diye bir kavramın henüz tedavülde olmadığı yıllarda, mükemmel ilişkilere sahip olan Mayski, “sıradan” milletvekillerinden gazetecilere, sendikacılardan sanatçılara, yazarlardan aydınlara her kesimle temas ettiği pek çok kişiyle ilişkisinden bahsettiği günlüklerde bir bürokrattan öte, bir yazarın anılarını andırıyor. Lloyd George, Ramsay MacDonald, Kral V. George, VIII. Edward, Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, Joe Kennedy gibi pek çok siyasetçi, aydın ve yazarın da isminin geçtiği günlükler, 30’ların Avrupası’nı anlamak, özellikle sosyal ve siyasal bağlamda fikir edinebilmek için önemli bir kaynak.
İvan Mihayloviç Mayski'nin, görev yaptığı süre boyunca günlük tuttuğu günlüklerden yola çıkarak 30’ların sosyal, siyasal, kültürel ve ekonomik gelişmelerini ve Gorodetsky'nin hazırladığı notlarından İkinci Dünya Savaşına giden yıllarda bürokrasiyi, devletler arası ilişkileri, sosyalizmi, kapitalizmi sizlerle paylaşıyoruz.
Keyifli dinlemeleriniz olması dileğiyle.
okursohbetleri@gmail.com üzerinden görüş ve önerilerinizi bekleriz.
Sevgiler.
January 10, 2018
I finished an abridged version of Maiskey’s diaries, only about a 3rd in length of the total, so I’m dependent on the curator and obviously hope for the best,the closest book I can compare it to are the Ciano Diaries (which I also recommend). Maiskey has unique insight of Viewing history and Culture through a Marxist lens and of course being a player in that history. His ignorance in some matters is astounding, for instance he describes the Russian Victory in the battle of Stalingrad as the only time in History in which the besieger became the besieged and was ultimately forced to surrender, which even the most basic student of history would recognize as a description of the battle of Alesia. He sometimes completely misreads relationships, believing Anthony Eden’s relationship with his wife Beatrice to be a strong one with her being not only his wife but his advisor, a complete misreading as they separated in the 30s and ultimately divorced. Perhaps most fatally he misreads British statements In April and May of 41 that a German Attack against the Soviet Union is eminent. For 11 years Maiskey was Soviet Ambassador and had intimate conversations with many players in the drama, from Joe Kennedy to Llyod George, a must read for anyone Interested in world war 2.
June 14, 2023
This is a substantial diary and definitely worth the time invested. Full of intrigue and of historical significance.
February 2, 2016
Absolutely fascinating first person account of the build up to and conduct of WW2 from a key interlocutor between Britain and the Soviets. You get his perceptions of meetings with British politicians, then their perceptions in footnotes. he desperately tried to forge an alliance between Moscow and London to head off Hitler, but this foundered on mutual mistrust. Stalin's purges meant that he could have been recalled at any time to be tortured and executed. Chamberlain comes out of this badly, but I never knew that "appeasement" was espoused as a positive policy. Only later did it become a pejorative word.
October 15, 2017
Ivan Maisky, Cold War Soviet amassador to the UK fromthe 1930s on. He wasnJewish, which he mostly concealed, though those with antennae for these things, which many in UK political circles had in the 1930s, spotted him. He had been a young refugee in London at the start of the 20th century, proving his loyalty to the Soviet state by returning there, which, with his perfect English, gzve him the position of ambassador the Court of St. James's that he held for many years, unusual even then.
At the end of Stalin's Great Terror in the 1930s, the only Soviet ambassadors who had held on to their posts were Maisky in London and Alexandra Kollontay in Stockholm. The Soviet Foreign Ministry of that time was known scarily as "Narkomindel", the Russian abbreviation for the "People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs". I love all these period details. It is stated baldly here that the breaking off of diplomatic relations between the UK and the USSR in 1927 was due to the USSR's involvement in the 1926 General Strike. Well, I suppose that is generally known. Inthe popular mind it tends to be conflated with the Zinoviev Letter and related Daily Mail-esque hysteria, but those were earlier, in 1924 and on; the Strike was intended to bring down the British Government and thus play an imortant part in the overthrow of capitalism. It didn't quite work out like that, of course.
Anyway, in some part these diaries are fascinating,and certainly well and informatively edited. Maisky was an intimate of Churchill, and of all or most of the key British politicians of the time, and the Diaries relay conversations Maisky had with Churchill that Churchill himsel and other memoirists of the era never recorded.
The book as a whole is not as interesting as I'd hoped, though. Maisky was around, and in a key position, at such interesting and important times, and knew such important people, but ultimately he himself, or what he wrote about himself, just wasn't that interesting. And of course at certain moments he had to be highly circumspect, or stop writing altogether, just when it was getting interesting, to save his own skin. Nor was Maisky such a genius at politics as he thought he was. He survived when so many others did not, that much can be said. Also, he must have been one of the very few to point out, in the 1930s, that "hardliners in the Foreign Office were effectively prevailing on Cabinet to make further concessions to Germany". Now, of course, things are rather different. Appeasement is the norm and themainstream, at least on the left and in the centre. Maisky wrote: "Parliaent is in the blood of every Englishman." Is it? It probably should be. It certainly is in mine,but then it would be, wouldn't it? And the hours he spent in the House, listening to debates on the war, to catch the mood! Do ambassadors still do that? In the UK, I very much doubt it.
The Comintern was dissolved in May 1943, "thus paving the way for collaboration on a post-war European order". Hmm, yes. That is one is still being played out today, in often unexpected ways. Amazing too how long things took in those days. Churchill said things to Maisky like "I shall telegraph to Mr Stalin in a few days."
Maisky came to a sad end, back in the Soviet Union, lonely and discredited. But the Terror was over, and the Khruschev thaw was on, and he died in his bed. A valuable record of the times. Pity it isn't, just a bit, more interesting.
At the end of Stalin's Great Terror in the 1930s, the only Soviet ambassadors who had held on to their posts were Maisky in London and Alexandra Kollontay in Stockholm. The Soviet Foreign Ministry of that time was known scarily as "Narkomindel", the Russian abbreviation for the "People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs". I love all these period details. It is stated baldly here that the breaking off of diplomatic relations between the UK and the USSR in 1927 was due to the USSR's involvement in the 1926 General Strike. Well, I suppose that is generally known. Inthe popular mind it tends to be conflated with the Zinoviev Letter and related Daily Mail-esque hysteria, but those were earlier, in 1924 and on; the Strike was intended to bring down the British Government and thus play an imortant part in the overthrow of capitalism. It didn't quite work out like that, of course.
Anyway, in some part these diaries are fascinating,and certainly well and informatively edited. Maisky was an intimate of Churchill, and of all or most of the key British politicians of the time, and the Diaries relay conversations Maisky had with Churchill that Churchill himsel and other memoirists of the era never recorded.
The book as a whole is not as interesting as I'd hoped, though. Maisky was around, and in a key position, at such interesting and important times, and knew such important people, but ultimately he himself, or what he wrote about himself, just wasn't that interesting. And of course at certain moments he had to be highly circumspect, or stop writing altogether, just when it was getting interesting, to save his own skin. Nor was Maisky such a genius at politics as he thought he was. He survived when so many others did not, that much can be said. Also, he must have been one of the very few to point out, in the 1930s, that "hardliners in the Foreign Office were effectively prevailing on Cabinet to make further concessions to Germany". Now, of course, things are rather different. Appeasement is the norm and themainstream, at least on the left and in the centre. Maisky wrote: "Parliaent is in the blood of every Englishman." Is it? It probably should be. It certainly is in mine,but then it would be, wouldn't it? And the hours he spent in the House, listening to debates on the war, to catch the mood! Do ambassadors still do that? In the UK, I very much doubt it.
The Comintern was dissolved in May 1943, "thus paving the way for collaboration on a post-war European order". Hmm, yes. That is one is still being played out today, in often unexpected ways. Amazing too how long things took in those days. Churchill said things to Maisky like "I shall telegraph to Mr Stalin in a few days."
Maisky came to a sad end, back in the Soviet Union, lonely and discredited. But the Terror was over, and the Khruschev thaw was on, and he died in his bed. A valuable record of the times. Pity it isn't, just a bit, more interesting.
March 18, 2021
There are a number of good reviews of this edition of Maisky's diaries. I don't want to repeat anything here and attach some of my notes instead.
On 29th of March 1939 Chamberlain was alerted by Halifax to intelligence reports from Berlin about an impending German attack on Poland. The two decided to issue a guarantee declaration, promising Poland assistance 'in event of any action which clearly threatened Polish independence'.
In April 1941 the Czech underground reported a great quantity of troops passing through Prague, in direction of the Soviet border. The Geographical Institute in Prague, long in German hands, was producing detailed maps of the Ukraine.
On 4th of March 1943, following an official resolution of the Polish Government that 1939 borders should remain unchanged, Maisky stated that "it is difficult to escape the conclusion that Poland is generally incapable of prolonged and sustained existence as a fully independent and sovereign national organism."
On 11th of March 1943 Maisky discussed with Eden a matter of the eastern borders of Poland after the war, and that it should follow the Curzon Line, which generally corresponded to the Russian border with Germany in 1941. Eden responded to Maisky that the Russians wanted more than the Curzon Line by claiming Lvov. Maisky responded that Lvov was an Ukrainian town.
In April 1943 the Germans discovered the mass graves of about 10,000 Polish officers in Katyn, and Stalin decided, "in view of the entirely abnormal relations between the USSR and Poland, caused by the conduct of the Polish Government, to "break off" relations with Sikorski's government. Churchill was informed by Sikorski that, in December 1941, he asked Stalin about the fate of missing Polish officers but did not receive a clear answer. Churchill conceded to Sikorski that "the German revelations are probably true. The Bolsheviks can be very cruel". He said that "if they were dead they could not be resurrected to life. It was the case of the living Poles in Russia that required attention". The Soviet embassy printed attacks on the Polish Government, depicting the Poles as "accomplices of the cannibal Hitler." Churchill accused Maiski of "disseminating poison".
On 29th of March 1939 Chamberlain was alerted by Halifax to intelligence reports from Berlin about an impending German attack on Poland. The two decided to issue a guarantee declaration, promising Poland assistance 'in event of any action which clearly threatened Polish independence'.
In April 1941 the Czech underground reported a great quantity of troops passing through Prague, in direction of the Soviet border. The Geographical Institute in Prague, long in German hands, was producing detailed maps of the Ukraine.
On 4th of March 1943, following an official resolution of the Polish Government that 1939 borders should remain unchanged, Maisky stated that "it is difficult to escape the conclusion that Poland is generally incapable of prolonged and sustained existence as a fully independent and sovereign national organism."
On 11th of March 1943 Maisky discussed with Eden a matter of the eastern borders of Poland after the war, and that it should follow the Curzon Line, which generally corresponded to the Russian border with Germany in 1941. Eden responded to Maisky that the Russians wanted more than the Curzon Line by claiming Lvov. Maisky responded that Lvov was an Ukrainian town.
In April 1943 the Germans discovered the mass graves of about 10,000 Polish officers in Katyn, and Stalin decided, "in view of the entirely abnormal relations between the USSR and Poland, caused by the conduct of the Polish Government, to "break off" relations with Sikorski's government. Churchill was informed by Sikorski that, in December 1941, he asked Stalin about the fate of missing Polish officers but did not receive a clear answer. Churchill conceded to Sikorski that "the German revelations are probably true. The Bolsheviks can be very cruel". He said that "if they were dead they could not be resurrected to life. It was the case of the living Poles in Russia that required attention". The Soviet embassy printed attacks on the Polish Government, depicting the Poles as "accomplices of the cannibal Hitler." Churchill accused Maiski of "disseminating poison".
March 24, 2023
What an interesting character!
The subtitle refers to the dates that Maisky was the Ambassador to Great Britain. The diaries themselves cover 1934-1943, and there are significant gaps.
Maisky was clearly a highly intelligent individual. He paid close attention to events, seemed to have excellent instincts in dealing with people, and synthesize his observations into incisive conclusions and predictions.
Given the things he put down in his diary, I find it remarkable that he wasn't a victim of Stalin's purges. (The last two chapters cover his removal from London and his imprisonment. Had Stalin died even a few weeks later, I believe he'd have gotten a bullet in the brain.) Because he was in London, he was able to stay out of Moscow and out of Stalin's view. Even when he was recalled for short visits to Moscow, he tried to stay out of the way. This leads me to believe he knew the injustices of Stalin and the regime. And yet, he often spouts the words of the "true believer", or the kool-aid drinker, depending on your viewpoint.
For me, the most interesting part covered the period between Chamberlain's Munich visit ("Peace in our time") to Germany's invasion of Poland. I've read about these diplomatic events but always through American or English eyes. I think it's important to see things from other viewpoints. Here we get the Soviet view. It makes me a bit more sympathetic, but I still can't help but think of how things might have been different had Stalin trusted the English more than he trusted Hitler.
The subtitle refers to the dates that Maisky was the Ambassador to Great Britain. The diaries themselves cover 1934-1943, and there are significant gaps.
Maisky was clearly a highly intelligent individual. He paid close attention to events, seemed to have excellent instincts in dealing with people, and synthesize his observations into incisive conclusions and predictions.
Given the things he put down in his diary, I find it remarkable that he wasn't a victim of Stalin's purges. (The last two chapters cover his removal from London and his imprisonment. Had Stalin died even a few weeks later, I believe he'd have gotten a bullet in the brain.) Because he was in London, he was able to stay out of Moscow and out of Stalin's view. Even when he was recalled for short visits to Moscow, he tried to stay out of the way. This leads me to believe he knew the injustices of Stalin and the regime. And yet, he often spouts the words of the "true believer", or the kool-aid drinker, depending on your viewpoint.
For me, the most interesting part covered the period between Chamberlain's Munich visit ("Peace in our time") to Germany's invasion of Poland. I've read about these diplomatic events but always through American or English eyes. I think it's important to see things from other viewpoints. Here we get the Soviet view. It makes me a bit more sympathetic, but I still can't help but think of how things might have been different had Stalin trusted the English more than he trusted Hitler.
August 18, 2021
Please don't ignore this book because it's a diary, or because it's rather lengthy, or because it covers political events. It's incredibly easy and interesting to read, thanks to Maisky's own engaging style and the sheer number of famous people he met. The editing and explanatory notes are also very well done.
As a unique description of events leading up to WWII, the conduct of the war, and life in the USSR under Stalin, the diaries are plenty interesting enough. But for me the real revelation was how badly things were handled by the Conservative leaders throughout the period, almost all of whom seem to have been members of the aristocracy. Most people already know about Chamberlain's disastrous attempts to appease Hitler, but this was only the tip of the iceberg. The Tories were more willing to embrace fascism than cooperate with the Soviets, and this fatally undermined the attempts to forge a triple alliance of Britain, France & Russia, which might have prevented the war. It's also shocking to read about the widespread anti-semitism in Britain; Chamberlain himself describes Maisky as a "revolting but clever little Jew.
I can recommend this book unreservedly for anyone with the slightest interest in WWII or socio-political history, but also for general book readers. In addition, I think it has great relevance to the Britain we live in today.
As a unique description of events leading up to WWII, the conduct of the war, and life in the USSR under Stalin, the diaries are plenty interesting enough. But for me the real revelation was how badly things were handled by the Conservative leaders throughout the period, almost all of whom seem to have been members of the aristocracy. Most people already know about Chamberlain's disastrous attempts to appease Hitler, but this was only the tip of the iceberg. The Tories were more willing to embrace fascism than cooperate with the Soviets, and this fatally undermined the attempts to forge a triple alliance of Britain, France & Russia, which might have prevented the war. It's also shocking to read about the widespread anti-semitism in Britain; Chamberlain himself describes Maisky as a "revolting but clever little Jew.
I can recommend this book unreservedly for anyone with the slightest interest in WWII or socio-political history, but also for general book readers. In addition, I think it has great relevance to the Britain we live in today.
September 3, 2017
The Maisky Diaries constitutes a hugely interesting and important contribution to interwar diplomacy and World War 2, and gives a clear, contemporary account of the Soviet position regarding the anti-fascist alliance, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Finnish War, the incorporation of the Baltic States into the USSR, the Second Front, and other controversial topics. With an amazing level of access to the authorities in both Britain (including Churchill and Eden) and the Soviet Union (including Stalin and Molotov), Maisky is an indispensable source. The writing is also very engaging. Some of the editorial comments are rubbish, but for the most part are helpful. Definitely an essential read for those interested in this area.
October 11, 2020
These diaries, written privately, against specific instructions to the contrary, were kept by the Soviet ambassador to the UK in the period 1932 to 1943. Maisky was at the centre of much that happened in that period. he could see the storm clouds before most other people could. He worked tirelssly but unltimately uinsuccessfully to bring about Anglo-French-Soviet defence pact as a bulwark against Nazi expansion. He provides great word pictures of all the ke people in the british establishment at that time, politicians, artists, writers, bankers. he had an astonishing set of contacts and access at the highest levels. Its a great read though ultimately tragic.
February 3, 2024
Remarkable book about a remarkable ambassador who had a deep understanding of domestic and international politics but was constrained by the Soviet system forcing him into contorted positions and eventually prison.
The added context by Gorodestsky is very useful in seeing through the smokescreens of the various characters constantly on political manoeuvres.
It is very interesting to see how different British figures like Eden, Churchill, and Beaverbrook were reacting to developments in that era.
The added context by Gorodestsky is very useful in seeing through the smokescreens of the various characters constantly on political manoeuvres.
It is very interesting to see how different British figures like Eden, Churchill, and Beaverbrook were reacting to developments in that era.
August 10, 2019
Poignant account of WW2 & looking Cold War
September 7, 2025
Pre-war entries of The Maisky Diaries are best. Often a poor judge, e.g. ironically short-sighted on Lenin & Gandhi.
February 19, 2017
This is truly fascinating. Maisky was a shrewd observer of the British political scene before and during the war and clearly had a genuine love for this country while always seeking to serve the USSR's interests. He is circumspect at times and one never hears what he really feels about the situation back in Moscow because that would have been fatal - he lost too many friends and comrades during Stalin's terror to be that foolish. And he only just survived Joe's final purge and accusations of being a British spy by a whisker, imprisoned and set for trial a week or so after Stalin's timely (for him) death.
But for most of the 30s and until is ominous recall in 1943, he made it his business to know all the players. One curiosity is how much easier he found it to relate to and trust Tories and liberals than Labour - he never really clicked with Attlee and Bevin (perhaps because they were too close to each other politically? Or not close enough?). He was close to other denizens of the Left, however, especially the Webbs and the Shaws (as in George Bernard). But his most extraordinary friendships were with "The Old Wizard" (Lloyd-George) and especially Churchill (with whom there seemed great mutual respect despite WSC's abhorrence of Bolshevism). He had much to do with Eden but there was a wariness inevitably- he is canny about him though, with a number of comments that hint at the flaws which caused his premiership to be so catastrophic. He knew how to handle Churchill's moods, which was important because he frequently was the sole mediator/translator of private notes to and from Stalin.
What does come through is his deep frustrations with the darker side of British politics - he was as appalled by appeasement as Churchill, and so they naturally formed unholy allies in the 30s. He was also suspicious of the empty verbiage and diplomatic flannel that always came when Stalin was desperate for the Allies to open a 2nd front in 1942/3 (though the British were convinced they weren't ready - hence DDay not happening before summer 1944). The tussles about the post-war settlement began very early on inevitably and he and Churchill were both prescient about that. In fact, one of the gifts of these diaries is to see how much these two extraordinary men correctly anticipated.
Gabriel Gorodetsky has done remarkable work filling in gaps and drawing on archives in Moscow, London and Washington, and elsewhere. But he is never intrusive and Maisky is allowed to speak for himself whenever he can. He has done history a great service by digging this up and giving it the public recognition it full deserves.
But for most of the 30s and until is ominous recall in 1943, he made it his business to know all the players. One curiosity is how much easier he found it to relate to and trust Tories and liberals than Labour - he never really clicked with Attlee and Bevin (perhaps because they were too close to each other politically? Or not close enough?). He was close to other denizens of the Left, however, especially the Webbs and the Shaws (as in George Bernard). But his most extraordinary friendships were with "The Old Wizard" (Lloyd-George) and especially Churchill (with whom there seemed great mutual respect despite WSC's abhorrence of Bolshevism). He had much to do with Eden but there was a wariness inevitably- he is canny about him though, with a number of comments that hint at the flaws which caused his premiership to be so catastrophic. He knew how to handle Churchill's moods, which was important because he frequently was the sole mediator/translator of private notes to and from Stalin.
What does come through is his deep frustrations with the darker side of British politics - he was as appalled by appeasement as Churchill, and so they naturally formed unholy allies in the 30s. He was also suspicious of the empty verbiage and diplomatic flannel that always came when Stalin was desperate for the Allies to open a 2nd front in 1942/3 (though the British were convinced they weren't ready - hence DDay not happening before summer 1944). The tussles about the post-war settlement began very early on inevitably and he and Churchill were both prescient about that. In fact, one of the gifts of these diaries is to see how much these two extraordinary men correctly anticipated.
Gabriel Gorodetsky has done remarkable work filling in gaps and drawing on archives in Moscow, London and Washington, and elsewhere. But he is never intrusive and Maisky is allowed to speak for himself whenever he can. He has done history a great service by digging this up and giving it the public recognition it full deserves.
February 19, 2017
Amazing.
A real pleasure to read it.
A real pleasure to read it.
November 11, 2015
The Maisky diaries by Ivan Maisky, edited by Gabriel Gorodetsky
Ivan Maisky, the Soviet ambassador to London from 1932 to 1943 kept personal diaries; an illicit act because such things were forbidden by the Soviet authorities, and no wonder. The book ripples with cunning, psychological mind games which could have had dire consequences for Maisky if he had got it wrong. He must have had nerves of steel because Stalin’s purges of the 1930s wiped out most of the diplomatic corps. To the casual observer Maisky was living the genteel and privileged life of a diplomat in the West, on the other he was only one careless word away from ruin. Here was a man who was apparently in close contact with some senior figures in British politics and often engaged in informal tête-à –têtes. But these were interactions loaded with hidden messages and meanings a Bolshevik in the pay of a ruthless dictator had to interpret and then correctly act on. As a condensed version of three volumes, The Maisky Diaries is a remarkable book because it allows us to view the world changing events of some of the most tumultuous years of the twentieth century and from a novel viewpoint. It is far from dry, with some lively accounts of events and Maisky’s scenic descriptions are at times quite lyrical.
Gabriel Gorodetsky’s commentaries add useful details and information as well as occasionally mirroring Maisky’s view from the Western perspective. Although it is a book to dip in and out of, the content means you soon find you’ve sat down for longer than you intended, as yet another intriguing narrative unfolds.
Copy courtesy of Yale University through NetGalley
Ivan Maisky, the Soviet ambassador to London from 1932 to 1943 kept personal diaries; an illicit act because such things were forbidden by the Soviet authorities, and no wonder. The book ripples with cunning, psychological mind games which could have had dire consequences for Maisky if he had got it wrong. He must have had nerves of steel because Stalin’s purges of the 1930s wiped out most of the diplomatic corps. To the casual observer Maisky was living the genteel and privileged life of a diplomat in the West, on the other he was only one careless word away from ruin. Here was a man who was apparently in close contact with some senior figures in British politics and often engaged in informal tête-à –têtes. But these were interactions loaded with hidden messages and meanings a Bolshevik in the pay of a ruthless dictator had to interpret and then correctly act on. As a condensed version of three volumes, The Maisky Diaries is a remarkable book because it allows us to view the world changing events of some of the most tumultuous years of the twentieth century and from a novel viewpoint. It is far from dry, with some lively accounts of events and Maisky’s scenic descriptions are at times quite lyrical.
Gabriel Gorodetsky’s commentaries add useful details and information as well as occasionally mirroring Maisky’s view from the Western perspective. Although it is a book to dip in and out of, the content means you soon find you’ve sat down for longer than you intended, as yet another intriguing narrative unfolds.
Copy courtesy of Yale University through NetGalley
August 5, 2018
#ChapReview Issue No. 10
'The Maisky Diaries' by Ivan Maisky (edited by Gabriel Gorodetsky)
★★★★
I have no idea how this book exits. No, really. I have no idea how it survived both World War 2 and Stalin's 'Great Terror' of the 30's, 40's and 50's. Well, I do having read it. But still. I'm flabbergasted.
I began this sizeable tome as some background research for a play I've just finished writing. It's a seriously weighty thing at 632 pages (I may have skimmed an entry or two) but Maisky's eloquence will keep you coming back. I don't know what possessed him to even risk keeping a diary whilst in the employ of Stalin, but we have benefited from it greatly. We have incredible one-on-one insight into some of the greatest political moments in history. I particularly enjoyed his run-ins with the Kremlin toward the end of his career which remain delightfully relevant.
This is isn't exactly required reading as it's so very VERY niche. But hey, if the dour, drab, slate-grey concrete brutality of Stalin's regime and associated political movements make you want to jump up in glee and grab a cheap bottle of vodka to cry with... you'd be hard pressed to find anything better this side of Red Square!
PROS:
- Eminently readable
- Entries vary in size, so you can pick and choose how much you want to get through in one sitting.
- Fascinating rise and fall type arc (Maisky didn't see it, sadly)
- Wonderfully edited and translated
- Excellent writing thanks to Maisky's education
CONS:
- Looooooooooooooooooooooong
- Ultra niche
- Large reading sessions may drive you to drink
TL;DR – If you likey likey some good old-school, Communisty Backstabby goodness, read it. Nostrovia!
'The Maisky Diaries' by Ivan Maisky (edited by Gabriel Gorodetsky)
★★★★
I have no idea how this book exits. No, really. I have no idea how it survived both World War 2 and Stalin's 'Great Terror' of the 30's, 40's and 50's. Well, I do having read it. But still. I'm flabbergasted.
I began this sizeable tome as some background research for a play I've just finished writing. It's a seriously weighty thing at 632 pages (I may have skimmed an entry or two) but Maisky's eloquence will keep you coming back. I don't know what possessed him to even risk keeping a diary whilst in the employ of Stalin, but we have benefited from it greatly. We have incredible one-on-one insight into some of the greatest political moments in history. I particularly enjoyed his run-ins with the Kremlin toward the end of his career which remain delightfully relevant.
This is isn't exactly required reading as it's so very VERY niche. But hey, if the dour, drab, slate-grey concrete brutality of Stalin's regime and associated political movements make you want to jump up in glee and grab a cheap bottle of vodka to cry with... you'd be hard pressed to find anything better this side of Red Square!
PROS:
- Eminently readable
- Entries vary in size, so you can pick and choose how much you want to get through in one sitting.
- Fascinating rise and fall type arc (Maisky didn't see it, sadly)
- Wonderfully edited and translated
- Excellent writing thanks to Maisky's education
CONS:
- Looooooooooooooooooooooong
- Ultra niche
- Large reading sessions may drive you to drink
TL;DR – If you likey likey some good old-school, Communisty Backstabby goodness, read it. Nostrovia!
February 24, 2019
The diaries of the Soviet ambassador to London from 1932 to 1943 provide an insight into the relationship of the two nations(and the US, France and Germany).
For the first time I understood some of the thinking behind events I was taught in O level History. Why, for instance were the UK Conservatives so keen on placating Hitler in those pre-war years, leading to Chamberlain's trip to Munich. Why Stalin refused to believe the intelligence that a Soviet invasion was imminent - the Soviet leadership were convinced that the British were looking to agree a deal with Hitler and then turn on the USSR. Why the delay of the invasion of France was seen by the USSR as an indication that it was on its own in the war and that it could not trust the allies.
Throughout, Maisky is playing a dangerous game. He has to keep on the good side of Stalin (and Molotov) whilst building relationships with those in power in the U.K. His observations on Shaw, Lloyd George and the Webbs are illuminating. Of course, his good relationships with the British were then used against after his recall. The footnotes comparing what Maisky writes in his diaries with what he told Moscow at the time, and what the British politicians wrote about the same meetings are illuminating- what is truth?
There are some frustrations. Maisky is often away at the moment when we would like to hear his views. So, we miss the outsiders view on the Abdication crisis and, most of all, he is no longer around when D-day finally occurs.
An insider's view of history.
For the first time I understood some of the thinking behind events I was taught in O level History. Why, for instance were the UK Conservatives so keen on placating Hitler in those pre-war years, leading to Chamberlain's trip to Munich. Why Stalin refused to believe the intelligence that a Soviet invasion was imminent - the Soviet leadership were convinced that the British were looking to agree a deal with Hitler and then turn on the USSR. Why the delay of the invasion of France was seen by the USSR as an indication that it was on its own in the war and that it could not trust the allies.
Throughout, Maisky is playing a dangerous game. He has to keep on the good side of Stalin (and Molotov) whilst building relationships with those in power in the U.K. His observations on Shaw, Lloyd George and the Webbs are illuminating. Of course, his good relationships with the British were then used against after his recall. The footnotes comparing what Maisky writes in his diaries with what he told Moscow at the time, and what the British politicians wrote about the same meetings are illuminating- what is truth?
There are some frustrations. Maisky is often away at the moment when we would like to hear his views. So, we miss the outsiders view on the Abdication crisis and, most of all, he is no longer around when D-day finally occurs.
An insider's view of history.
December 29, 2018
I found this book rather disappointing. I thought it would be better. I found it surprising that any Soviet official would risk keeping a diary as they are frequently used against them when they are put on trial, as they almost certainly would be, and that their enemies and/or competitors, which almost any and every Soviet official is quite certain to have, would be more than willing to use against them no matter what is in it. Unfortunately, this is nothing more than the diarist describing his meetings with notables of the day and with friends and his estimations of current events which are pretty good by the way. He does come across as being quite intelligent though. There's nothing earth shattering or surprising here. Not even enough to raise an eyebrow. The only reason I read this is because I like to read published diaries and journals. If I were given the opportunity to read this again I would have to say no.
January 26, 2016
Bir Sovyet diplomatı olan Maisky, İkinci Paylaşım Savaşı'nın öncesinde Londra'ya yerleşiyor ve Sovyet Büyükelçisi oluyor. 1943 yılına kadar da bu görevi sürdürüyor.
Bir İngiltere siyaseti tarihçisi olsaydım çok ilgimi çekerdi. İngiliz politikacılarının savaş karşısındaki şaşkınlığı, umutsuzluğu ve Sovetler Birliği faşizmin pençesine düşmek üzereyken bile devam ettirdikleri komünizm düşmanlığı açıkça görülüyor.
Yer yer parlayan bölümler var kitapta. O dönemin insanlarını tanımış, gündemlerini sanki yaşıyormuş gibi hissettiren yerler. Ne var ki, %70'i "Churchill'e gittim, Stalin'in mesajını verdim. Sinirlendi, bir konuşma yaptı" ya da "parlamentoya gittim, şununla şu atıştı" seklinde devam eden diplomat temasları. Dönemin uzman tarihçileri için önemli ayrıntılar, benim gibi genel okur için artık önemi kalmamış birer anı.
Bir İngiltere siyaseti tarihçisi olsaydım çok ilgimi çekerdi. İngiliz politikacılarının savaş karşısındaki şaşkınlığı, umutsuzluğu ve Sovetler Birliği faşizmin pençesine düşmek üzereyken bile devam ettirdikleri komünizm düşmanlığı açıkça görülüyor.
Yer yer parlayan bölümler var kitapta. O dönemin insanlarını tanımış, gündemlerini sanki yaşıyormuş gibi hissettiren yerler. Ne var ki, %70'i "Churchill'e gittim, Stalin'in mesajını verdim. Sinirlendi, bir konuşma yaptı" ya da "parlamentoya gittim, şununla şu atıştı" seklinde devam eden diplomat temasları. Dönemin uzman tarihçileri için önemli ayrıntılar, benim gibi genel okur için artık önemi kalmamış birer anı.
March 19, 2016
Very few Russian politicians were brave enough to keep a diary in the 30's. One exception was Russian Ambassador to the UK Ivan Maisky who was a great diarist and well tied into the political as well as the social scene in London in the 30's and early 40's. I often wonder how the west became so paranoid about socialism and communism whose roots were so similar to the French and American revolutions, and in spite of the fact that Russia, the UK and the US were allies during WWII. Some amazing insights here.
August 15, 2016
This book has a high ratio of editorial asides to actual entries, but the editor does provide a lot of useful context that wouldn't be clear from the entries themselves. Overall, the book can be dry, repetitive, and very narrow for a lay reader-- but would likely be invaluable as a research tool to someone interested in WWII anglo-soviet relations.
August 10, 2016
Maisky's analysis of events on the road to war is prescient at times, his characterisations of leading political figures is colourful and often damning, while Gorodetsky reminds the reader of his self-serving agenda while putting pen to paper - one of the best political diaries around.
April 9, 2016
This is a fascinating look at English politics during a crucial moment in history. A heretofore unknown primary source. Recommended for those interested in this period of the Second World War.
February 23, 2016
seeing through the eyes of Russia in England~~
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews