Is this accurate? Is it true that Russia regards British policy in the Middle East as a challenge, and that it is prepared to conclude an agreement with France aimed at countering Britain?
Answer: I consider it utterly incorrect to depict the reception of Herriot in Moscow and the Franco-Russian negotiations as anything—no matter how slight—a reversal in Soviet Russia’s overall policy, or as a turn against Britain in particular.
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France, too, will pursue similar policies in this regard. We believe that the mutual interests of Britain and France, insofar as they intersect with Russia, by no means harbor elements of inevitable hostility between Britain and France. On the contrary, we even hold that the peaceful, friendly relations these powers maintain toward Russia constitute one of the safeguards—indeed, I am almost inclined to say the strongest safeguard—for ensuring that peace and friendship between Britain and France endure for the longest possible duration, and that any potential or probable disagreements between France and Britain under present conditions will, sooner rather than later, reach a happy resolution.