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

711.61/5–2247: Telegram

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

confidential

Moscow, May 22, 1947—6 p. m.

1858. President’s message to Congress on Greek-Turkish aid bill¹ clearly captured political warfare offensive and put Soviet propaganda machinery on defensive. Period of public discussion of bill was characterized mainly by repetition and elaboration in Soviet press media of arguments of domestic opposition which necessitated subsequent rather lame explanations of successful course of bill in Congress. With passage of bill, however, pattern of Soviet counter-offensive calculated to nullify effect of US aid policy is getting into full swing.

Basically, Soviet tactics may be summarized as follows:

Use of every channel of propaganda, both official and through myriad of world-wide front organizations as well as by direct action in form of Soviet and WFTU inspired strikes and disruptive tactics in coalition governments all designed to nullify beneficial effect of economic aid and thus discredit democratic elements who accept such aid; by delaying European economic recovery Kremlin seeks to discredit policy also in US and gain sufficient time for hoped for US economic crisis to set in which they believe will cause American public, either because of threat of crisis or in event of actual crisis, to refuse additional economic aid, thus leaving field open in many countries to further Communist-spearheaded Soviet political and economic infiltration and control.

Growing all-out anti-American campaign has gone to such lengths as to impugn our motives during war vis-à-vis Germany by endeavoring to establish that American “monopoly capitalists” maintained contacts throughout war with their German colleagues and exercised such control at home as to prevent American Air Force from bombing key German factories. American Government press, social and economic life are painted as controlled by small group despised “antidemocratic reactionary monopoly capitalists” who are suppressing trade unions, amassing huge profits and preparing for next war in order further to increase their profits. Dire picture presented of “monopoly capitalist” infiltration into foreign countries for sole purpose of milching profits and controlling internal as well as external policies of these countries in order form anti-Soviet block as the basis for new war. Propaganda picture tries further to prove that if countries accept US loans which means surrender to US infiltration and dollar imperialism, they will be so bound to US economy that they too will go under in coming US economic crisis.² Coupled with this, attacks made on our efforts to limit sovereignty in connection with international atomic energy control depicting them as designed to facilitate American economic infiltration and domination of all countries of world solely to enhance profits of monopoly capital.

In other words, object is to frighten masses by painting dire consequences of accepting American aid, in hope aid will be refused; if this tactic unsuccessful, Soviet machinations are to prevent it from being effective and thus lay blame for continued economic crisis in most countries to American aid policy, which crisis in fact, Kremlin is endeavoring to aggravate by strikes and other methods of which it disposes.

This unusually violent and comprehensive propaganda campaign is in striking and ironic contrast to Stalin’s recent and widely publicized reasonable statement to Stassen regarding the importance to Soviet-American relations of eschewing just such tactics as those outlined above.

Confronted with such open and hostile psychological warfare US should make all-out effort to counteract malicious Soviet propaganda through the “Voice of America” programs abroad and other means at home and abroad such as making available an accurate objective picture of Soviet Union by completing the arrangements suggested in Embtel 4309, December 4, 1946³ for the full translation and dissemination of authoritative Soviet periodicals.

Department please repeat London as Moscow’s 221, Paris as 211, Berlin as 381.

Durbrow

1. Regarding President Truman’s message of March 12, see footnote 2, p. 547. The Act authorizing assistance to Greece and Turkey was approved on May 22; 61 Stat. 103.
2. On May 29 in telegram 1941 from Moscow the Chargé reported that a Tass report from New York on the economic situation in the United States was “noting widespread fear of economic slump and stating lowering of production observable in certain branches of industry and number unemployed approximates two and one-half million, majority war veterans.” (811.50/5–2947)
3. Not printed.