Primary Document Analysis - The Long Telegram and The Novikov Telegram, Notes PDF

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Novikov Telegram Nikolai Novikov, the Soviet ambassador in Washington, drafted this telegram to discuss the threat of the United States to the Soviet Union and their postwar policies. Post WWII United States: • Trend - Imperialist tendencies, strive for world dominance • Enemies weakened - Germany and Japan defeated, Britain suffer economically and politically • United can strengthen their economic position in the whole world • USSR remains economically independent and is focusing on internal consolidation Anglo-American Relationship - Contradicting: • The bad: • United States and Britain disagree on Near East countries, this is where they cannot come to an agreement on the spheres of influence • American naval activity threaten Britain in the Mediterranean Sea • Palestine disagreement - US “supports the Zionist cause” but really only wish to interfere in Palestinian affairs and penetrate the economy US and Britain can be the greatest competitors or the greatest allies • • The good: • US provides economic and political support for Britain: - Economic - loan enables England to strengthen its economy after the disruption of WWII - Political - US coordinates policies with Britain closely especially on the issues of opposing USSR communism, Anglo-American headquarter continue to exist after WWII - Military - no official military alliance, therefore no official alliance, although some naval cooperation exist in the Mediterranean • Problem with accepting loan - empire may orient toward the US more than Britain, Britain will become financially dependent on the US and not get out of this situation Explanation for US Behaviour: • To consolidate its position in the Near East by means of naval force • A political and military demonstration against the USSR World Order - what the US want: • US is okay with the split in the UN, as long as it leads the Anglo-Saxon domain • US want to slow the process of democratization, inconsistent with ideology - not an ideological war but really about fighting a powerful soviet influence • Countries with democratic government under USSR influence should be replaces with new governments connected the the US more War with the Soviet Union is inevitable, so put all resources into preparation for this outbreak • • Not prevention but preparation

The Long Telegram George Kennan, American Embassy official is reporting back with an analysis of Soviet position on a number of issues. The United States would later form its foreign policy during the Cold War based on this information. • Capitalism is intrinsically conflicting • Attack or “Western intervention” of the USSR must be delayed at all cost to allow the USSR to work on internal consolidation of communism • Insecurity motivates total destruction of international rivals • “At bottom of Kremlin's neurotic view of world affairs is traditional and instinctive Russian sense of insecurity … they have always feared foreign penetration, feared direct contact between Western world and their own, feared what would happen if Russians learned truth about world without or if foreigners learned truth about world within. And they have learned to seek security only in patient but deadly struggle for total destruction of rival power, never in compacts and compromises with it.” • USSR dogma justifies their insecurity and fear of the outside world. USSR abandons all ethical values in how they rule, in the name of Marxism • “In this dogma, with its basic altruism of purpose, they found justification for their instinctive fear of outside world, for the dictatorship without which they did not know how to rule, for cruelties they did not dare not to inflict, for sacrifice they felt bound to demand. In the name of Marxism they sacrificed every single ethical value in their methods and tactics. Today they cannot dispense with it.” • Main aim - deepen internal conflict for capitalist countries by: • Externally: - Let the conflict play out and exacerbate it - Disrupting national confidence, increase social and industrial unrest - Stimulating all forms of disunity - Using Western’s liberal policies to attack colonialism, support dependent nations in decolonizing thereby asserting Soviet influence on their governments - European people are less interested in abstract freedom than actual security after the war • Internally: - The policies don’t reflect the wishes of the Soviet people, they are friendly toward the outside world and eager to learn about it - Assimilate financially independent actors such as businessmen, estate owners and artisans and those with local prestige (even local USSR officers are moved around often to prevent them from gaining too much authority and recognition) - The transfer of power between leaders does not go well for the USSR (negative effects on the soviet state when Lenin transferred to Stalin), so implies they must do everything to keep Stalin in power

STEVEN MERRITT MINER (commentary on the Novikov Telegram) • Stalin’s paranoia leads to his own downfall - in the end people only tell him what he wants to hear • Stalin hires people who are inexperienced so they follow commands and are loyal • He made no effort to analyze USSR policies • Raises more questions than answers: why was this specific one released? JOHN LEWIS GADDIS (Introduction) • Governments use ideology to legitimize their authority • In times of desperation, there is a incentive for governments to their existence in ideological terms, difficult for historians to figure out exactly what happened The Novikov Telegram is the only document of its significance on USSR cold war history available to • us, important to note that we cannot determine with confidence the environment in the Soviet Union at the time • All reports are inconclusive

GEORGE F. KENNAN (commentary on the Novikov Telegram) • Skeptical about the authorship and motive behind the Novikov Telegram - No links to previous documents - Title not suited for an official document, more for an article - Vocabulary and style suited more for public document - No sources given - No notes explaining its nature Drafted at the same time as the Paris Peace Conference, USSR future position threatened with these • deliberations • Drafted during a time of uncertainty, when America has not yet established its hard position • Suggests that the telegram is aimed to advance Molotov (foreign minister)’s tough and hostile policies toward the United States which Stalin is not ready to commit to Time of great tension in Moscow • • From Molotov’s underlining, information plays on USSR’s insecurity and emphasize: - America’s desire to become the most powerful factor in the post war period - its policies are different from the circumstances in prewar - provide evidence of America’s military domination - Convey that Russia is in a better position coming out of the war - America has war in mind with the USSR and that’s inevitable • May suggest that Stalin doesn’t want to rush to a conclusion and solve the problem prematurely MELVYN P. LEFFLER (commentary on the Novikov Telegram) • Uninformative - doesn't mention USSR objectives (Because intended for the public..? Propaganda?) • Misrepresentation - oversimplifies US objectives and interests, but accurate in its description of AngloAmerican relationship such as: • Cooperative impulses and competitive thrusts • Disruptive role of American capital for British Empire • No mention of US domestic economic situation • Accuracy and Misinterpretations represent Novikov’s fears and USSR vulnerability • Contradictions throughout the document WILLIAM TAUBMAN (commentary on the Novikov Telegram) • Similar to the discovery of Neptune - not a a surprise or a major breakthrough but evidence that it’s there all along Points out that the author wrote this knowing that Stalin will read it - What does Stalin want to hear? • • Emphasize capital threat • Stalin - paranoia, fear his ambassador as he fears the enemy • Ambassador feed him the rhetoric he feed the world VIKTOR L. MAL’KOV (commentary on the Novikov Telegram and the Long Telegram) • The Long Telegram highly influential - containment is based on this • Intended “only for the information of the president and the secretary of state” • CONTEXT - american policy is already shaped before the arrival of this telegram, so it serves less of a purpose to convince than to report articulately and serve as a justification for the cause Two documents are fundamentally the same, both paint a picture of black and white, the other is evil • and only one can prevail • Molotov was the co author, he ordered this report and was the mastermind behind it • US comes across as an expansionist state under the Truman doctrine • IMPORTANCE: not the fact they bring up but the attitude they reveal of how US and USSR perceive each other Less about the facts represented but how they are said • • Existing ideological framework...