The future of Soviet foreign trade in general as well as that of the Baltic trade has become the subject-matter of lively discussion. There are optimists who expect that Soviet Baltic trade will reach huge proportions in the approaching new world. But there are also pessimists who are not so optimistic concerning the extent of that trade.

Similar uncertainty concerning the proportions of Soviet Baltic trade prevailed after the First World War. It may be recalled, for instance, that what may be called an optimistic expectancy regarding Soviet Baltic trade goes back to the years 1918-1920 when, as in our day, large turnovers of Soviet transit trade with the newly established Baltic countries were expected. The Soviet Union supported this expectancy both by words and by deeds.