Catalyst for war: Russian foreign minister Molotov signs Nazi-Soviet Pact in front of his German counterpart Ribbentrop, centre, and dictator Stalin in 1939. Photo from The Daily MailFrom The Washington Times:
MOSCOW -- Seventy years ago Sunday, the Soviet Union signed a pact with Nazi Germany that gave dictator Josef Stalin a free hand to take over part of Poland and the Baltic States on the eve of World War II.
Most of the world now condemns the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, but Russia has mounted a new defense of the 1939 treaty as it seeks to restore some of its now-lost sphere of influence.
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My Comment: The Russians always believed that they were playing for time by signing this agreement. What they failed to realize is that before they knew it .... time was up.