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To Winston Churchill, Molotov was "a man of outstanding ability and coldblooded ruthlessness . . . His cannonball head, black mustache and comprehending eyes, his slab face, his verbal adroitness and imperturbable demeanor were appropriate manifestations of his qualities and skill. He was above all men fitted to be the agent and instrument of . . .an incalculable machine."
Lenin once dismissed Molotov as "Russia's best filing clerk." A keener assessment appears in a snatch of dialogue from an early session of the comrades.
Trotsky to Molotov: "You are mediocrity incarnate."
Molotov to Trotsky: "It is not given for everyone to be a genius. I only flatter myself that I have willpower and guts."
At the round tables of diplomacy, Molotov operates like a human trip hamme-pounding friend and foe alike into silence or submission. He uses some effective ploys. Example:
¶ The ten-ton hint. To the Swedish ambassador in wartime Moscow, Molotov hinted: "I don't think the Moscow climate agrees with you. I think you ought to ask your government to call you back for a rest—the sooner the better." ¶ The question-mark barrage. After listening to Adolf Hitler grandiloquizing about "spheres of influence," Molotov silenced him by asking all at once: "What's this about a new order in Europe? And in Asia? What role is the U.S.S.R. going to play? What about Bulgaria? Rumania? Turkey? How shall Russian interests be preserved in the Balkans?" ¶ The dialectical pounce. At the Potsdam Conference, a concrete issue of fact arose between Molotov and Britain's Anthony Eden. Politely, Eden began: "I may be mistaken, but . . ." Before he could finish the sentence, Molotov broke in: "You are mistaken," and that was that.
Diplomat in Action. U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles is more impressed than most by Molotov's expertness. In his book, War or Peace, Dulles describes how Molotov seized on the personal foibles of each of his opponents at the 1945 London Council of Foreign Ministers :
The U.S.'s JIMMY BYRNES "spoke freely and ... off the cuff, but was not always legalistically precise. Molotov sought repeatedly to draw him out . . . 'What precisely was it that he proposed?' 'Would he restate the case so as to clarify it?' Molotov . . . hoped that by evoking statements and restatements that were extemporaneous, he might bring about a misstatement upon which he could seize."
Britain's ERNEST BEVIN "was bluff and hearty, easily angered and quickly repentant. Mr. Molotov treated him as a banderillero treats a bull, planting darts that would arouse him to an outburst . On one occasion, Bevin was provoked into saying that Mr. Molotov talked like Hitler . . . Molotov jumped to his feet and stalked to the door. Mr. Bevin, with contrition, hastened to explain away his heated words and, as a mark of his sincerity . . . [conceded] the point in dispute . . ."