Speeches at a Dinner in Honor of E. Benes, March 28, 1945

Source: Tom 18

Speeches at a Dinner in Honor of E. Benes, President of Czechoslovakia, March 28, 1945

First Recording

Comrades! We Russians — and I say this as a Georgian — we Russians, that is, the Russian people, the Great Russians, were formerly known as an oppressor nation. But that is all in the past. Now the Russian people have become a different people; they have been transformed. The Russian people do not wish to oppress anyone — neither Ukrainians, nor Belarusians, nor anyone else. The Russian people helped liberate the peoples of Central and Southeastern Europe.

We can say that we are the new Slavophiles. But unlike the old Slavophiles, we, the new Slavophiles, stand not for the subjugation of the Slavic peoples under Russia, but for their liberation and for friendship among the Slavic peoples on the basis of equality and mutual respect for sovereignty.

Second Recording

The old Slavophiles — Aksakov, the Kireyevsky brothers, and others — demanded the unification of all Slavs under Russian hegemony. This was incorrect and harmful, and the Slavic peoples were right to resist. We, the new Slavophiles-Leninists, the new Slavophiles-Bolsheviks, stand for the union of the Slavic peoples not on the basis of subjugation, but on the basis of voluntary alliance, on the basis of mutual assistance and mutual defense.

All wars have shown that the Slavic peoples possess enormous vitality and strength. But when the Slavs were disunited, they were defeated one by one. When the Slavs were united, they were victorious. That is the lesson of history.

The peoples of Yugoslavia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria are our brothers. Their independence and sovereignty we regard as sacred. May the friendship and alliance of the Slavic peoples grow ever stronger!

I raise my glass to the health of President Benes, an honest and courageous man, a true friend of the Soviet Union!