“Austerity” at the Kremlin

“The Kremlin banquet was a grand affair, with all the Council of Defence, the Party political bureau (which virtually decides Russian policy) leading commissars, the British and American Ambassadors and their staffs, and a large number of Russian, British and American marshals, generals and colonels present. There were 25 speeches, most of them informal, and innumerable toasts. M. Stalin, who was in fine form, proposed several toasts, including one to President Roosevelt, and cracked many jokes. Twenty-six courses were served. Mountains of vegetables and fruits crowded the tables.”—(“Daily Telegraph,” August 8th, 1942—our emphasis.)