The first Soviet Ambassador to Canada flew into Edmonton last week. His five-day flight from Moscow reminded air-conscious Canadians that: 1) the Soviet Union is a neighbor second only to the U.S. in importance to Canada; 2) Russia shares with the Dominion control of the globe’s strategic northern cap.
The Ambassador. Georgi Nikolayevitch Zarubin had never been in Canada before, but he was no stranger to North America. As an engineer, he helped run the Soviet Exhibit at the New York World’s Fair, then went home to head up the Kremlin’s North American department. With him to Canada he brought his wife, their 14-year-old son Victor, six trunks, twelve suitcases and the 65-volume Soviet Encyclopedia (Moscow’s official compendium of information about the U.S.S.R.). After the barest formalities he settled down to run Ottawa’s Soviet Embassy. Under a Minister, its staff had already become Ottawa’s second-largest (only the U.S. Embassy staff is bigger).
The Zarubins will occupy 20 of the 32 rooms in the Embassy building, which was once the mansion of Ottawa’s lumber and railroad heir, the late John Frederick Booth (father-in-law to Erik, Prince of Denmark). The U.S.S.R. bought the vast pile when Ottawa and Moscow re-established relations two years ago. To the huge reception rooms, socialite Ottawans flock for the capital’s poshest receptions.
Love in Bloom. Canadian-Soviet relations blossomed only after the Nazis attacked Russia. Before then, Canadian affairs were handled in London’s Soviet Embassy. In October 1942 the Kremlin sent able Feodor Gusev as its first Minister to Canada, later sent him to London to replace Ivan Maisky as Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s. To Moscow went Russian-speaking Leolyn Dana Wilgress, one of Ottawa’s ablest civil servants. While on Canada’s Economic Mission to Siberia, Wilgress married a Russian, fitted himself to meet Russians on their own terms.
Forty Canadian cities and towns have adopted Russian towns, pledged to send them clothing and hospital supplies. Even Quebec’s Cardinal Villeneuve has endorsed Russian relief drives. Soviet friendship has already paid off for Canada. A Soviet engineering commission visited Toronto recently and reportedly left specifications of a $25,000,000 order for hydroelectric equipment. In the works are long-term Canadian-Soviet trade agreements which Canadians hope will make the $25,000,000 order look like peanuts.
ncG1vNJzZmismaKyb6%2FOpmaaqpOdtrexjm9ucGxlbH5wr8CnmJ2ZXZbBbsPAq2SesKSav6%2Bty2aYn56Rnr%2B0ec2oqa2glae7brrEop6hmp%2BnwHA%3D