Conclusion of the „Hitler-Stalin Pact“

The Secretaries of Foreign Affairs Wjatscheslaw M. Molotow and Joachim von Ribbentropp signing the german-soviet non-aggression treaty in Moscow (in the background: Josef Stalin) Source: This image is from the article Hitler-Stalin-Pakt in the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and is under GNU-license for free documentation

With the world public looking on in astonishment, the German Reich and the Soviet Union conclude a non-aggression treaty in Moscow on 23 August 1939. In a secret addendum the two countries define their spheres of influence in Europe: Kremlin leader Josef Stalin claims hegemony over Finland and over the Baltic nations (with the exception of Lithuania). Poland is to be partitioned between the two ideological arch-enemies. Adolf Hitler  has now acquired the necessary backing for his imminent attack on Poland. In addition he hopes that this pact will enable him to deter the western powers of Great Britain and France from fulfilling their assurances of military support for Warsaw.