It will be recalled that the Soviet delegation proposed
from the very beginning that the reparations from Italy in
favour of the Soviet Union be fixed in the amount of 100
million dollars in kind, including deliveries out of current
industrial production. This amount of reparations covers
only a very small part of the direct damage caused by the
Italian fascist troops, which invaded the Soviet Union joint-
ly with Hitler's hordes-. The U.SjS.R. /thereby once more
demonstrated its generosity towards the Italian people, who
overthrew fascism and sided with the Allies. Even the Italian
Government has never objected to this more than moderate
demand of the U.S.S.R., which in fact bears only a symbolic
character, a token that the Soviet people deems it imper-
missible for aggression to go unpunished.
The question of reparations for the U.S.S.R. was de-
bated at six meetings of the Conference's Economic Com-
mission. Sixteen hours had to be spent in discussion, because
the Australian and certain other delegations stubborn-
ly objected to this elementary demand of the Soviet
Union.
But the question of reparations from Italy had been dis-
cussed still more lengthily before the Conference. It was
debated at numerous sittings of the Gown-til of Foreign Min-
isters and at meetings of the Deputy Ministers, as well as
in a special committee on reparations. Before the Confer-
ence, 32 meetings were held on this subject, and 86 hours
were spent on these meetings.
Thus- the question of reparations to the Soviet Union
from Italy was debated at 38 meetings, and 102 hours in
all were spent on it.
This discussion ended in the unanimous decision- of a
committee composed of representatives of 20 states, which
agreed with the correctness of the U.S.S.R.'s proposal to fix
the reparations at 100 million dollars in kind, including
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