Claims

Zinoviev, Chairman of the Third Internationale, told the Moscow communists that Russia need not be alarmed at Britain's bill of claims against Russia at the Soviet-British Claims Conference which was scheduled to open in London early in April. The bill amounts to 11,000,000,000 gold rubles ($5,654,000,000), including 6% interest since 1917.

Said Zinoviev : "Of course the future will show the nature of these London negotiations, but I think we can now say we will not make any serious concessions of any material character to our opponents. We shall present our counter claims. A couple of years ago we undoubtedly could have bought recognition for a good price, such as the partial acknowledgment of the Tsar's debts or large concessions to foreign capital. Now we have received recognition without paying a penny or delivering a single carload of raw material."

The counter-claims referred to exceeded the British claim by 3,000,000,000 rubles ($1,542,000,000).