[the_af]

I don't think this factored into Western distrust. The West had sided with White Russians and against Bolsheviks since forever, way before any purges or Holodomor or whatnot.

It's interesting that Stalin tried to get the West's help against Hitler before he giving up and making a truce with Germany to buy time.

Keep in mind that Germany was close and Hitler had stated he intended to expand eastwards towards Russia and he had declared that "Bolshevik Jews" were the ultimate enemy of Germany. If Stalin felt the Soviet Union wasn't ready for that fight, it makes sense that he would try to stall it. (Yes, then there's Poland and all that jazz. History is complicated).