Mr. R. S. Hudson, the Secretary of the Department of
Overseas Trade, arrived in Moscow on his trade mission last week and ended his talks with the Soviet representatives on Monday. His principal task was to present the British case for a revision of the Anglo-Soviet Trade Treaty of 1934, which has worked somewhat unequally to the advantage of the Soviets and left an increase in Soviet purchases of British manufactures and employment of British shipping to be desired. The conversations, principally conducted with M. Mikoyan, Soviet Commissar for Foreign Trade, have attained their object, as they concluded with the announce- ment that a new treaty would be negotiated in London. Official reports emphasise the frankness of the views ex- changed,—which is all to the good. Mr. Hudson also met M. Litvinov, the Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs ; their interchange of views was the more valuable as it should reinforce the approaches which, somewhat tardily, the British Government has recently made to the Russian Ambassador in London, M. Maisky. The success— for such it appears to be—of Mr. Hudson's visit is encourag- ing to those who for some time have been aware of the unfortunate effect which the isolation of the Soviet Union has had on the international -situation.
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