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Trotsky Murdered, Molotov in Berlin y 183

at any cost. Hitler hinted that the Soviet Union should move away from Romanian oil. e
Soviet Union had already taken over Northern Bukovina. With that invasion, the Soviet
Union violated the pact about the division of the spheres of influence. Molotov replied that the
Soviet Union did indeed take something from Romania, and did indeed violate the previously
reached agreement with Germany. But the Soviet Union would not give up what it got; more-
over, Stalin wanted Southern Bukovina and Bulgaria. “ e fate of Romania and Hungary also
interests the Soviet Union, and under no condition can it ever be indifferent to it.” 13
Hitler reminded Molotov that they had agreed about the division of Europe back in
August 1939. Molotov responded that it was time for a new division of Europe that would
give an advantage to the Soviet Union. “ e USSR considers last year’s agreement fulfilled,
with the exception of the question of Finland. . . . Now it is time to talk about a broader
agreement between the USSR and Germany.” Further discussions were in the same tone.
14
During the course of the talks, Molotov did not raise questions about the security of the
Soviet Union. Hitler brought up questions of safety from a Soviet invasion of territory crucial
to Germany, but he did not receive any satisfactory reply. On the morning of November
14, 1940, Molotov left for Moscow. On November 25, the German ambassador to Moscow
was told that Germany had to withdraw its troops from Finnish territory immediately. In
addition, all the claims Molotov had made in his talks with Hitler and Ribbentrop were
confirmed, even the demand to create Soviet bases on the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits.
15
On the same day, November 25, 1940, the People’s Commissar of Defense of the USSR,
Marshal of the Soviet Union S. K. Timoshenko, and the Chief of General Staff of the Red
Army, General K. A. Meretskov, wrote a directive to prepare a plan for a new war of aggres-
sion against Finland. 16
Hitler was preparing for a big war against Great Britain when Stalin demanded new
territories in Europe—territories on which Germany’s economy and armed forces depended
completely. If a war against Britain weakened Germany, what would Stalin demand? Hitler
found an answer to all of Stalin’s demands. “After Molotov’s departure, Hitler gathered
his most trusted subordinates and clearly let them understand that he planned to invade
Russia.” 17