When I returned to the embassy, neither Molotov nor Khrulev had returned, and only Litvinov remained in the embassy. Seeing that I had come back alone, Litvinov hurriedly and politely beckoned me to sit in the hall and drink tea, while waiting for the return of the other two responsible persons.

Anyway, when we were idle, the two of us chatted over tea. From the content of his conversation, coupled with the sporadic historical memories in my mind, I have a more detailed understanding of the old man in front of me.

After the October Revolution, he was appointed by Lenin as the representative of the Soviet Union in Britain. As a result of his efforts, the British government ended the economic blockade of the Soviet Union, and several European countries signed trade agreements with the Soviet Union. After being appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs by Stalin in 1930, he did his best to create a favorable international atmosphere with Britain and France for the sake of national security, and succeeded in persuading the United States to officially recognize the Soviet government as the legitimate government in 33.

He also actively promoted the process of the Soviet Union's accession to the League of Nations, and for four years served as the Soviet Union's representative in the League of Nations. He also tried to unite European countries alas against Hitler's Germany, but his efforts were fruitless, because the Europeans, like they did not trust Hitler, did not trust Stalin.

On his 60th birthday in 36, he was awarded the Order of Lenin by Stalin. Stalin also wrote in Pravda: "Comrade Litvinov is one of the most important representatives of the great epoch of the October Revolution and the construction of socialism, he embodied the foreign policy of the USSR and the struggle of the USSR to guarantee peace between the peoples, and his name will go down in history." ”

However, with the signing of the Munich Agreement in September 1938, the annexation of Czechoslovakia by Germany, and Stalin's decision to form a strategic alliance with Hitler, the Soviet Union's foreign policy began to adjust. Litvinov was removed from his post in early May 1939 and replaced by Molotov. Stalin did this because Litvinov was of Jewish descent, which was not conducive to the signing of the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact.

When Litvinov finished talking about his experience as ambassador to the United States after the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, I suddenly remembered that he had been in so many places. Probably knowing something about General Morgan, whom I was going to meet tomorrow, I took advantage of the gap between his words and asked, "Comrade Livinov, do you know General Morgan of Great Britain?" ”

"General Morgan?" Litvinov, after repeating the name, frowned and thought about it. After a moment, his brow furrowed, and he looked suddenly realized, "Oh, I see, what you said about General Morgan. It must be Frederick. Sir Morgan, right? ”

I remember hearing Marshall mention Morgan's full name as I left the war room, so I nodded and affirmed, "I think it should be." ”

After receiving my confirmation, Litvinov briefly told me about Morgan's situation: "Frederick. Lieutenant General Sir Morgan, a British officer, became commander of the 1st Army of the Royal Army in October 1942 under the command of Eisenhower. Received the task of preparing for the landing in the western Mediterranean, carrying out the task of organizing the German advance into Spain in order to strengthen the initial landing cargo. This spring. He served as deputy chief of staff of the Allied High Command, where he was responsible for specifying the operational plan for the offensive against Northwestern Europe. ”

I suspect that Litvinov may have had his own sources of intelligence, so there is no doubt that what he says will be different from the facts, and the only thing that puzzles me is why Lieutenant General Morgan was only the deputy chief of staff of the Allied High Command, given that he was in charge of the Normandy Plan. He is not the only one in this position. When I asked my question, Litvinov shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly: "Almost everyone thinks that he is the chief of staff of the Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces. But General Eisenhower insisted that Smith be chief of staff and Morgan be Smith's deputy. For such an appointment, many people who are upset about Morgan believe that he will not accept the position. But who knows, Morgan said happily: 'I don't care about the high ground of office, I just want to be able to do my duty in my position.' ’”

Although I had never heard of Morgan before, Litvinov's brief introduction made me feel good about Morgan. I thought to myself that if Morgan really did what Litvinov said, then he must be a very good person to get along with.

At this moment, an embassy staff member walked into the hall from the outside, walked quickly to Litvinov's side, and whispered to him: "Comrade Ambassador, the convoy is back." ”

Litvinov looked up at the staff in front of him and asked: "Is it Molotov or General Khrulev's convoy?" ”

The staff was stunned for a moment, and then replied: "The convoy of the two of them is back together!" ”

Litvinov nodded and politely said to the staff: "I see, thank you!" After saying that, he stood up and said to me apologetically: "General Oshanina, I am going out to meet Comrade Molotov, I can no longer drink tea with you, please sit here for a while." ”

When I heard that he was going out to meet Molotov and Khrulev, I must not continue to sit here without moving, otherwise Molotov would see me and sue me in front of Stalin, saying that I would not be able to eat and walk away. So, I also stood up and said to Litvinov with a smile: "Comrade Ambassador, let me go out with you to meet them." ”

When the two of us got outside, the convoy had already reached the door. After the two guards' cars drove by, the same luxury car I had seen at the airport stopped in front of us.

As soon as the car stopped, Litvinov took a few steps forward, opened the back door, and helped Molotov, who was sitting in the back, to get out of the car, and at the same time, like a secretary, took the briefcase in his hand, put it under his armpit, and respectfully invited him into the embassy.

When I saw this, I couldn't help but shake my head secretly, knowing that Molotov was dissatisfied with Stalin because he often praised him, and tried to kill him. Litvinov should have been well aware of this situation, so he tried his best to show humility in front of Molotov and try to eliminate the murderous intentions of the other party.

Seeing Molotov get out of the car, I also stepped forward and raised my hand to salute Molotov, Molotov glanced at me and asked lightly: "When did you come back?" ”

I quickly measured the time and replied, "It's been over an hour since I came back." ”

Molotov nodded, standing still and not speaking. He turned his head and quietly watched Khrulev get out of the car he had just stopped and walked to our side, and then he said: "Comrade Khrulev, and you, Comrade Oshanina, have come to my room and report to me on the progress of the matter. (To be continued......)