Chris Bellamy presents the proposed addition of the Soviet Union to Germany, Italy and Japan as a potentially formidable coalition spanning Eurasia and the Pacific. Molotov's Berlin visit explored that possibility against a background of exchanges of German equipment for Soviet raw materials. Hitler sent greetings to Stalin and proposed a future meeting, a gesture the account suggests may have affected Stalin's assessment of German intentions. The proposed pact would recognize spheres of interest across Europe, Asia and Africa. Secret provisions directed Soviet interests south toward the Indian Ocean and sought a Turkish settlement more favorable to the Soviet Union in place of the Montreux Convention. Bellamy treats the failure of the proposal as fortunate for the Western democracies.
Chapter · 2:08:49-2:13:45
Molotov's Berlin visit and the proposed Four Power Pact
The proposed German-Italian-Japanese-Soviet pact assigned spheres of interest and offered the Soviet Union a southern direction toward the Indian Ocean.