Stalin and Hitler were definitely a threat in 1938.
This is a fairly long movie, but it’s a well done historical document, and well worth viewing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyJkZegSJQE
If Hitler stayed put in the East, Stalin would have been ready to go on the offensive by 1943-44.
That was what he gained by signing the Non-Aggression Pact, he got that much closer to Germany.. Originally the Generals were upset with the Pact for that very reason. Of course, Hitler beat Stalin to the punch, mainly because France fell so soon, which in retrospect, may have been a blessing in disguise. A long protracted war in France, may have bled all three armies dry, making all of Europe easy pickings for Stalin.