“A VAST NEW WORLD”

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 248, 1 August 1946, Page 3

“A VAST NEW WORLD”

SIZE OF SOVIET UNION One of Mrs Churchill’s strongest impressions from her visit to Russia in April and May Avas the enormous size of the Soviet Union, Her tour took her to many storm-centres of the war, including Leningrad, Stalingrad, Kislovodsk, Rostov, Sebastopol, Odessa and Kursk. _ , . . , During the weeks that I had travelled around Russia, she wrote on her return io London, I had seen enough to make me comprehend something or .the vastness and diversity of that country which occupies one-sixth of the earth’s surface. When I saw the joint announcement of President Truman, Marshal Stalin and my husband printed in 16 separate languages I felt as though I Avas standing on the edge of a vast, new, unexplored world. The sense of size awes one; and the idea of those 16 individual Republics within the orbit of the Soviet Union, with all their variety of types, customs, traditions and culture, opens up a limitless possibility of study, discovery and understanding.

I prayed as I turned to take my farewell look at Moscoav, “May difficulties and misunderstandings pass; may friendship remain.”