Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume IV

861.911/5–847: Telegram

The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Durbrow) to the Secretary of State

restricted

Moscow, May 8, 1947—5 p. m.

1698. As Department is aware from many press telegrams sent in past several months, an intensive and growing campaign has been carried on to discredit American institutions and policies. This is exemplified by all-out campaign to discredit American press. Not only has intensive publicity been given to play “Russian Question”¹ vilifying American press, which is playing to audiences throughout country and was recently put on in Berlin, but numerous extremely critical articles are appearing periodically on the same theme. There are no indications that this smear campaign is letting up.

Following are possible reasons for this continuing attack on press:

1. To discredit “western influence” as part of Zhdanov’s ideological campaign started last summer² by endeavoring show freedom of press does not exist in western world.

2. To give the impression that only Soviet public is told whole truth and thus counteract possible feeling among people that repetitious Soviet press doggerel does not represent factual picture of world events.

3. To counteract possible taste for western type press acquired by Soviet soldiers stationed central Europe who have access to western press.

4. To counter effectiveness of objective, factual reporting on British and American, Russian broadcasts which are obviously effective in view of Ehrenburg’s and other attacks against these programs.

5. To give impression that if American public obtained “true picture” of Soviet’s peaceful motives there would be no fear of war and thus it would not be necessary to exhort Soviet people to superhuman efforts to build up war potential instead of concentrating on producing consumer goods and raising Soviet standard of living.

6. To conform to party line that it is only American reactionary leadership in league with “vicious” American monopoly capitalist press who distort Soviet motives and policies in effort to wean mass of American public away from their natural sympathy, understanding and admiration of Soviet Union and their basic disagreement with the Truman policy.

7. As directive to assist Communist-controlled press abroad in its efforts to discredit factual free press picture world events and frank discussion Soviet motives. The intensity and widespread nature of this campaign, which is bound to have far-reaching effects unless counteracted, constitutes, of course, most pungent argument why it it essential for US to continue objective, factual reporting to USSR and European countries by “Voice of America” programs and why, considering popularity of magazine Amerika we also should continue to use this medium to depict a true picture of American life and institutions and point of view.

Durbrow

1. “The Russian Question” was an anti-American play by Konstantin Mikhailovich Simonov. The Embassy in Moscow informed the Department in despatch 1184 of April 25, not printed, that the play had been planned for production early in the year in some 500 theaters throughout the Soviet Union, and that it had been much extolled in the daily newspapers and in the literary publication Culture and Life. In airgram A–1388 from Moscow on December 22, not printed, Stalin’s attendance was reported at a performance of the play at the Moscow Art Theater on the 19th in the company of Politburo members Molotov, Zhdanov, Beriya, Malenkov, Kaganovich, and Voznesensky. The comrades had “expressed their approval of its unsubtle sallies with loud applause.” (861.002/12–2247)
2. Concerning this attack launched under the leadership of Andrey Alexandrovich Zhdanov against the Leningrad writers and intellectuals, see telegrams 3284 from Moscow on August 22, 1946, and 3290 from Moscow on August 23, 1946, Foreign Relations, 1946, vol. vi, pp. 774 and 776.