The First Soviet-Czechoslovak Treaty: From the Draft to its Signing (April 2, 1921 – June 5, 1922)

The article analyzes the prehistory of the Soviet – Czechoslovak treaty signed on June 5, 1922. The authorreconstructs the course of negotiations on the basis of diplomatic documents and, first of all, the correspondence between the Chairman of the Trade delegation of Soviet Russia in Czechoslovakia P.N. Mostovenko and People’s Commissary for Foreign Affairs G.V. Chicherin and his deputy minister M.M. Litvinov. The article looks over the complications experienced in the course of the talks which were caused by the fact that the initial draft treaty compiled by M.M. Litvinov addressed only the economic issues. The later attempts of the Soviet diplomats to broaden the treaty by adding political agenda to it (including the articles about neutrality, the unity of diplomatic representatives, the obligation not to support hostile organizations and persons) provoked resistance from Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovak government strived to gain maximum advantageous trading opportunities and to confine itself to economic issues, excluding the political ones. The author of the paper investigates the reasons which forced Czechoslovakia to make concessions and sign the treaty.