Great Britain and Soviet Russia On Friday, December 20th, the
Prince of Wales received the new Soviet Ambassador, who presented his credentials: Afterwards Mr. Sokolnikoff called at the Foreign Office, and Notes were exchanged on the subject of propaganda. In a published statement Mr. Sokolnikoff said that the absence of normal relations between the two countries was " a constant menace to the maintenance of peace," and necessarily impeded " stable trading relations." We entirely agree. Mutual confidence, however, will be a plant of slow growth. It is easy for Mr. Sokolnikoff to point to the already considerable increase of orders by Soviet organizations in London in the current year, and to be enthusiastic about the " five years' plan of economic development." The pragmatic Englishman does not share the Russians' touching faith in plans and statistics, and British trade is not likely for some years to supply more than a fraction of the Soviet demand.
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