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In 1941 Stalin was compelled, under Hitler’s pressure, to expel from Moscow the diplomatic missions of all the countries then occupied by the German Army, amongst them the Belgian Legation to which the author had been appointed Counsellor in 1938. During the dynamic years leading up to the Ribbentrop/Molotov pact of non-aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union until his sudden dismissal, Harold Eeman was a keen observer of the enigmatic character of the Russian people, their capital and their countryside and his witty observations form the substance of this book. When he was deported and found himself on the Trans-Siberian train bound for Vladivostock and ultimately the United States (the only way out for Allied diplomats at that time), he expressed his feelings concerning his experiences over the last few years in these words: “Never again would I see the curtain rise in front of a rapt audience at the Bolshoi Theatre; never again would I paddle my kayak between the green banks of the Moskva; never again would I feel the stab of sudden revelation when the fantastic St. BasiTs church appears as one turns into Red Square. There were hundreds of things I would do no more. “Yet what a relief it was to get out of the Soviet Union! A few more days in this rolling prison and there would be no more secret police, no more spying servants, no more stony-faced officials obstinately impervious to one's point of view. “But I knew that henceforth I would always miss that elusive quality in the Russian air and in the Russian people which so insidiously and powerfully affects many foreign residents. ” Jacket illustrations by the Author Jacket design by Alan Marshall £5.95 net SBN: 363 00100 X In U.K. only THE AUTHOR HAROLD EEMAN was born in Ghent in 1893, the son of the Rector of the State University. His early career in the diplomatic service took him in succession to Ottawa, Cairo, Cape Town, Athens and Copenhagen. He was Charge d’Affaires in Helsinki when he first visited Russia in 1936 as the guest of the legendary Lady Muriel Paget. Shortly after his arrival in America in 1941, the political scene changed due to the Soviet Union becoming one of the Allies, and he was requested to re-open the Belgian Legation in Moscow. He agreed, but in the event it proved impossible due to transport difficulties after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Instead he pursued his career, first as Envoy Plenipotentiary, then as Ambassador, in various other countries until his retirement at the age of sixty-five, when he returned to his native city of Ghent where he still lives. •' * INSIDE STALIN’S RUSSIA In 1941 Stalin was compelled, under Hitler’s pressure, to expel from Moscow the diplomatic missions of all the coun tries then occupied by the German Army, amongst them the Belgian Legation to which the author had been appointed Counsellor in 1938. During the dynamic years leading up to the Ribbentrop/ Molotov pact of non-aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union until his sudden dismissal, Harold Eeman was a keen observer of the enigmatic character of the Russian people, their capital and their countryside, and his witty observations form the substance of this book. When he was deported and found himself on the Trans- Siberian train bound for Vladivostock and ultimately the United States (the only way out for Allied diplomats at that time), he expressed his feelings concerning his experiences over the last few years in these words: “Never again would I see the curtain rise in front of a rapt audience at the Bolshoi Theatre: never again would I paddle my kayak between the green banks of the Moskva: never again would I feel the stab of sudden revelation when the fantastic St. Basil’s church appears as one turns into Red Square. There were hundreds of things I would do no more. “Yet what a relief it was to get out of the Soviet Union! A few more days in this rolling prison and their would be no more secret police, no more spying servants, no more stony- faced officials obstinately impervious to one’s point of view. ” “But I knew that henceforth I would always miss that elusive quality in the Russian air and in the Russian people which so insidiously and powerfully affects many foreign residents. ” ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks are due and are hereby gratefully expressed to Captain D. Howell C.B.E., R.N., for his valuable advice, and to my cousin, Beryl Eeman, without whose assistance this book might never have seen the light of day. Memories of a Diplomat 1936-1941 by HAROLD EEMAN Illustrated by the Author A TRITON BOOK Copyright © 1977 by Harold Eeman First published 1977 by Triton Publishing Company Ltd, 1A Montagu Mews North, London W1H 1AJ. SBN: 363 00100 X Distributed by Macdonald and Jane’s Publishers Ltd, 8 Shepherdess Walk, London N1 7LW. Printed by David Green (Printers) Ltd, Kettering, Northamptonshire. Bound by J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd, Letchworth, Hertfordshire.