Litvinov, Maxim (Wallach, Meir Moiseevich)

(1876-1951)

   Russian revolutionary and Soviet diplomat. He joined the Russian social democratic party in 1898. In 1901 he was arrested and exiled. He escaped to Switzerland where he met Lenin. The next year he returned to Russia and took part in the 1905 revolution. He spent the next 12 years in exile in France and Britain. After the revolution, he was appointed the Soviet agent in Britain. In 1921 he became deputy foreign minister of the Soviet Union. From 1928-30 he was acting foreign minister; later he became foreign minister. Subsequenty he was appointed ambassador to the US.