9. Hard Bargaining. The Russians' method of negotiation is to drive in every way the hardest possible bargain. They take up at the outset a completely uncompromising attitude, and even go so far at times as to create an artificial attitude of sullenness hoping that their opponents will lose the first round in an effort to buy good-will. They gradually bargain concession against counter-concession, often without regard to the very different nature or implications of the questions involved. By and large they only meet our requests if they are satisfied that it is to their own interest to do so, or if it is only by doing so that they can secure for themselves something which they regard as being of still greater importance to them.