Why Stalin might enter the London Naval Conference

The prospect of Germany receiving an invitation provides a plausible reason for Stalin to send a delegation to London. Manufacturing an urgent Soviet naval need would require so many earlier changes that the counterfactual would lose its value as a test of the historical situation. A slower rejection of German participation, or a quicker Soviet announcement, could instead bring Moscow into the talks. Naval chief Romuald Muklevich supplies professional representation, while Maxim Litvinov is a more dependable diplomatic choice than Georgy Chicherin, whose imprisonment in Britain and objections to British policy had left him hostile to the host country. Success at the conference could provide a reason to promote Litvinov. A third delegate would probably come from Stalin's party apparatus, although the individual remains uncertain. Germany still stays outside the conference in this scenario, but withdrawing after a public commitment would cost Moscow prestige.