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INTERNATIONAL

especially by Litvinov, the Commissar for objective information
Foreign Affairs, who appointed him Soviet on his career in the
Representative to the League of Nations. The League, Marit Fosse
Soviet Union had joined the League in 1934 worked closely with
but did not have a special representative the UN Library, and
in Geneva until 1937; Litvinov was the the League of Nations
representative during sessions. Sokoline was archive, and is grateful
the League’s Under-Secretary-General until to the many UNOG
1939; the first and the only Permanent Soviet Library staff who
Representative to the League of Nations. helped her research
and made numerous
With this whirlwind life, Sokoline witnessed documents available.
everything taking place at these historic
moments – from Tsarist Russia and the This history, and the
Great War to the Bolshevik Revolution and ne w ly - re s e arche d
socialism, actively participating in all of them. information it contains,
Marit Fosse’s book shows his experience of is fascinating, and
the international arena of 1937-1939, and describes three crucial
provides a detailed account on little-known years of the League of
events at the League of Nations over this time. Nations, from 1937 to 1939. Sokoline himself is a controversial
It also highlights events in Bolshevik Russia and intriguing character, but the main interest is his role as the
after 1915 until 1937. first and only Soviet representative to the League of Nations.
The publication of this book also supports the recent project by
After his tenure in the League, Sokoline made Diva International Diplomat to have an encyclopaedia of the
the controversial decision to stay in Switzerland. first Permanent Representatives of the League (Diva 2/2022, pp.
It is unknown whether he considered 24-29), who made Geneva the world capital of multilateralism
Switzerland his second home because he was (project entitles “Credentials for Geneva”).
born and raised there, or whether there more
serious reasons for his decision. Sokoline was Part of the reason Diva International Diplomat has proposed
strongly patriotic and remained deeply devoted the project “Credentials for Geneva”, was to satisfy countries’
to the ideals of socialism and bolshevism. In curiosity about their own, or other, first representatives to the
his autobiography, he simply wrote, “I was League and UN. We, in Diva International Diplomat, would be
scared”. He made the decision in 1939, and delighted to work with any interested parties on the proposed
events indicated turbulent times ahead. encyclopaedia of “Those who Gave Credentials for Geneva: LoN
and UN”, and will be sending out a special appeal for interest in
His life after this decision is less well-known. this early next year.
He gave no statements or interviews, living by
teaching, translating and writing. Were it not In the meantime, we wish you an interesting journey through
for these writings, he might have remained Marit Fosse’s writings on the forgotten history of the League.
a footnote in history, but his books gained Evelina Rioukhina
attention. Nonetheless, there is still almost no
information about his late life in Switzerland.
Marit Fosse discovered that for decades he 1 “The League of Nations : from collective security to global
remained stateless, gaining Swiss citizenship rearmament” by Marit Fosse and John Fox, UN NY, 2021,
only in 1981, three years prior to his death. ISBN 9789211012484.
He probably lived somewhere in the Valais, 2 “Lester: The Guardian of a Small Flickering Light”, by Marit
but little else is known apart from a couple Fosse and John Fox, UPA, 2016, ISBN 978-0761866107.
of interviews he gave late in life. He died in 3 “Nansen: Explorer and Humanitarian”; by Marit Fosse and
1984, leaving an autobiography in French. John Fox, Hamilton Books, 2015, ISBN 978-0761865780.
This was a rich source of information, but of 4 “Flashback: Serge Diakonoff” by Marit Fosse,
course autobiographies tend to be one-sided. Editions L’Harmattan 2020, ISBN 978-2343220024.
To better describe the character and to restore

w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h