Maxim Maximovich Litvinov (17 July 1876 – 31 December 1951) was a Russian-Jewish revolutionary and prominent Soviet diplomat. He participated in the Russian Revolution. From 1930-1939, he served as the Soviet Union's Foreign Commissar, a major success being establishing diplomatic relations with the US in 1933. For a time, he attempted to fulfill a foreign policy built on opposition to Nazi Germany. By 1938, however, it was clear that neither the United Kingdom nor France were willing to stand against Germany. After the Munich Conference in September 1938, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin began a policy of rapprochement with Germany. Litvinov was removed from office so as not to antagonize the Nazis, although he did continue in diplomacy, acting as Soviet Ambassador to the United States from 19