British policy towards the Soviet Union during the Second World War

This book is the first detailed study of British policy towards the Soviet Union during the Second World War. Based on extensive archival research it traces changing attitudes towards a power which at the outset of the war was the partner of Nazi Germany and was suddenly to become Britain's most powerful Continental ally. Emphasis is placed on the uncertainties within the Government and the Foreign Office on how to assess the motives and thrust of Soviet policy, how best to treat an awkward and demanding ally and how to deal with the problems of a postwar world in which the Soviet Union was to be the greatest power in Europe.