Although Zhukov had made it clear that the Germans had launched a large-scale offensive against the Soviet troops in the three special military districts, Stalin questioned the reliability of this information. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

He did not think that the Germans would choose this time to invade the Soviet Union, but only that the purpose of the Germans' military moves was only to provoke the Soviet Union, because in his opinion, the German army did not have the conditions to invade the Soviet Union.

"Comrade Zhukov, are you sure that war has broken out?" Stalin questioned the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Army, Georgy Zhukov.

"Comrade Chief of Staff, are you mistaken? The Germans will certainly not attack us at this time. I don't know which Politburo member rejected Zhukov's statement.

Zhukov felt very helpless, at such a critical juncture, there were still people who had unrealistic illusions about the Germans, "I can assure you that the Germans have crossed the border and launched a large-scale offensive against our army.

Their planes, which have also crossed the border and bombed Grodno, Brest and Lviv, will definitely not be such a provocation, it will definitely be a large-scale invasion! ”

Although Manturov was aware of the fact of the German invasion, as well as the deployment of their troops. But in order not to reveal the identity of his crosser, he still pretended to be ignorant, "According to Comrade Zhukov, if the German army crossed the border, launched an attack on the Red Army units, and bombed the cities of our country, then it would not be as simple as a provocation. ”

"Vyacheslav," Stalin frowned, calling Molotov's name, "you go and contact Ambassador Schulenburg to confirm the news of the German invasion." We will wait for you to come back. ”

Molotov said goodbye to the crowd and returned to his office, where his assistants summoned Schulenburg, the German ambassador to the Soviet Union.

Schulenburg seems to have anticipated what was coming, standing by in his office just before the German attack, rather than asleep in his bed, as most Germans do.

As soon as he received Molotov's "call-up order", Schulenburg quickly left the embassy and took Counselor Hilge to Molotov's office at half past five in the morning, exactly an hour after the German attack.

"Mr. Molotov, I must now regret to state that I did not know anything until I met with you last night. I have always worked hard to maintain friendly relations between the Soviet Union and Germany, and I have made the best efforts to conclude a peace treaty. "In Russian with a Bavarian accent, Schulenburg clarified that he was not aware of the German invasion in advance." However, not so long ago, I received several telegrams from Berlin. ”

Speaking of which, Molotov, who had a wealth of diplomatic experience, had already guessed the general contents of those telegrams, but in order to confirm the news of the German invasion, he chose to follow, "So, Mr. Schulenburg, what do those telegrams say?" ”

"The Government of Berlin authorized me to convey to the Government of the Soviet Union their note the following: 'In view of the growing and intolerable threat posed to the eastern borders of Germany by the mass build-up and preparation of the armed forces of the Red Army, the Government of the Third Reich considered itself obliged to take measures of military confrontation.

The corresponding note was to be sent at the same time to the Soviet ambassador to Berlin, Deka Nozov. Ambassador Schulenburg truthfully conveyed the meaning of the German Government.

In order to ensure his own safety and that of the embassy staff, Schulenburg also feigned disappointment and said: "Mr. Molotov, I am quite frustrated by the inappropriate and sudden actions taken by my government. In order to conclude peace and friendship between Germany and the Soviet Union, my colleagues and I at the German Embassy in Moscow have done our utmost to conclude peace and friendship between Germany and the Soviet Union. ”

Molotov lifted his glasses, thought for a moment, and then asked: "What does this note mean?" ”

"As I understand it, the war has begun."

"On the borders of Germany, the Soviet Red Army never massed. Now, on behalf of the Soviet Government, I must declare that until the last minute the German Government had not made any relevant demands on us. If anything, these issues can be discussed, but your government has not done so, which is a clear excuse for a deliberate attack!

I must say that, despite the peace-loving position of the USSR, Germany attacked the USSR without warning, and the aggressor was clearly not us, but the German fascist government!

At four o'clock in the morning, the German army launched an attack on the Soviet Union without any reason, and the fact of aggression was unequivocal. In my opinion, the current attempts of the German side to find a reason to violate the USSR are hypocritical and provocative. Here, I would like to express a strong protest! ”

"Mr. Molotov," Schulenburg could not think of anything to reply, "I cannot add anything to the instructions I have now received, and I have not yet received any instructions on the evacuation procedures of the embassy staff and representatives of various companies and institutions.

Now, I hope that the Soviet side will allow German citizens to evacuate the Soviet Union through Iran. ”

"Why did you have to evacuate the Soviet Union via Iran?"

"It is impossible to evacuate in the west, because Romania and Finland will also attack with our country. I hope that your government will treat the evacuation of German citizens in the Soviet Union in a reasonable manner. Schulenburg explained.

"So? Will our personnel working in German embassies and institutions be treated reasonably? Molotov was also concerned about the safety of Soviet diplomats in Germany.

"Rest assured, Mr. Molotov, I can assure you that Soviet citizens in Germany will also be treated most reasonably."

"Very well, since the staff of the Soviet embassy and institutions in Germany are treated in the most reasonable way, I am sure that German citizens in the Soviet Union will be treated in the same way." Molotov abruptly changed the subject, "If the German government was able to tear up the non-aggression pact so easily, why did it conclude such a pact?" ”

"I can't add anything to what I've just told you." In conclusion, Schulenburg emphasized his efforts for Soviet-German relations: "During these six years, I tried my best to develop friendly relations between the two countries, but this bad luck prevented me from doing anything more, for which I can only express regret. ”

"Thank you, Mr. Schulenburg. I am very aware of your efforts in the relations between the two countries. I hope that you will be able to make more efforts again in the future for relations between the Soviet Union and Germany. If nothing else, then this is the end of the talks. (To be continued.) )