As I have pointed out elsewhere, the great significance of the joint Anglo-Soviet pledge to give each other all possible military assistance and support and not to negotiate or conclude an armistice or treaty of peace except by mutual agreement lies in the fact that the Soviet Government took this far-reaching sten three weeks after the Nazis had launched their invasion Blitz.
Some commentators have seen a diminished value in the pact because the Nazis are making what they themselves claim to be tremendous drives into Russian territory. But it means a great deal more when someone, who is supposed to be getting a sound hiding, swears to his partner also in the fight that he's going to carry on fighting until his partner agrees otherwise, than if he gave such a pledge either before the fight began or at a time when he was overwhelmingly having the best of it, "It Takes Guts"
To use a popular phrase of the day, "Int takes guts" to do what Moscow has done while the full might and fury of Hitler's hordes are being experienced and when the outcome of today's and tomorrow's battles might be one way or the other. The agreement is not only the logical sequence to Mr, Churchill's pledge when the Russo-German war broke on a startled world but it has mow been characterized by Mr. Churchill as an alliance.
That is an extremely far-reaching development and brings Russia into partnership with all the peoples of the British Empire and their Allies in this crusade against the Nazi menace. It represents a formidable front which has the backing of the United States behind it.
As regards the progress of the fubting, the Nazis have failed make the spectacular gains which their propaganda machine says are always just a few hours away. Tt is true they have made progress, but not as fast as they themselves expected.
The Russians are showing greater miliary strength and fighting quali fies than had been foreseen; they have halted strong Nazi drives, have counter-attacked, have hit hard in the air, and generally given the Germans loses to think about. Political ranks appear to have closed not only inside Russia but also to a great extent outside. Russian soil is being invaded; that is the unifying factor,' the source of inspiration both to the people and the fighting forces.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.