A London journalist friend¹ who works, I think, in fairly close relationship with the Russians here told me a few days ago that the British Foreign Secretary had on one or two occasions been unfortunate in his conversations with M. Molotov.² He had shown no subtlety and, apparently, had not the diplomatic ability for which the situation obviously called. He understood he had used the aggressive and 'steam-roller' methods which, though they might have brought him success in the simpler and far less complicated sphere of the Transport Workers Union, were hardly suitable for the Conference of the Big Three. Molotov who is said to be completely imperturbable sharply resented on one occasion Mr. Bevin thumping on the table and declaiming. 'Is this a time', he said to Mr. Bevin, 'when your people are on their bellies to the Americans in Washington to shout at the representative of so important a Government as mine?'

Mr. Bevin and Mr. Byrnes³ are said to have cabled to M. Stalin to inquire whether M. Molotov's attitude at the recent Conference was authorised by the Government and received a promptly cabled reply making it abundantly clear that his attitude was fully authorised. Significance is attached to the fact that the principal oration on the 7th November, the great annual celebration of the formation of the Soviet Republic, was delivered by M. Molotov.

The Russians, my informant said, have all the knowledge of the atomic bomb excepting the detailed formula for integrating, or assembling, the many components. They expect, however, that their own experiments will yield this secret in the course of the next few months. The policy of America, Canada, and Britain on atomic energy is, therefore, regarded by the Russians as a not very intelligent effort at 'power politics'.