Right, but in spirit of responding to the strongest interpretation of a preceding comment, it's rather hard to miss how advanced were the talks in November 1940

Right, but in spirit of responding to the strongest interpretation of a preceding comment, it's rather hard to miss how advanced were the talks in November 1940. It was not the lack of planning, but rather too much of it. I am talking about official diplomatic notes, all the evidence remains documented. Citing the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German%E2%80%93Soviet_Axis_talks#Soviet_counterproposal_agreement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German%E2%80%93Soviet_Axis_tal...: > Stalin directed Molotov to draft a new pact with a much greater scope, including the division of Europe, Asia and Africa among the four powers [i.e. USSR, Germany, Italy, Japan]. On November 25, the same day as the surprise statement of Soviet nonresistance to Bulgaria's joining the Axis and a potential Soviet joining of the pact [sic], the Soviets offered a counterproposal to Ribbentrop's draft agreement. It began, "The Soviet government is prepared to accept the draft of the Pact of Four Powers on political cooperation and economic mutual assistance". [...] > On several occasions, Molotov asked German officials for their response to Moscow's counterproposals, but Germany never answered them. > Regarding the counterproposal, Hitler remarked to his top military chiefs that Stalin "demands more and more", "he's a cold-blooded blackmailer" and "a German victory has become unbearable for Russia"... Also, I'm not saying that these talks were honest - they were diplomacy after all. But none of the sides were in the "minding my own business" business.