Office of the Historian

761.00/3–1250: Telegram

The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Barbour) to the Secretary of State 1

secret
Moscow, March 12, 1950—1 p. m.

822. On this, the third general election under the Stalin constitution2 central figure has not made election address, nor do today’s Moscow papers refer statement from him. It will be recalled that on occasion last election (February 10, 1946) Stalin made radio address and that following day text was reproduced all papers.3

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It had been generally accepted Stalin would speak last night and expectation was buttressed by facts (a) yesterday’s papers indicated unallocated radio time from 8 p. m., on, (b) speeches other Politburo members completed previous day, and (c) Soviet censor passed Salisbury4 NY Times despatch to effect Stalin would deliver principal address March 11. Assuming Stalin had intended to speak which by no means certain, last-minute indisposition might conceivably be explanation his failure to do so. Post-election speech a possibility. On other hand Stalin may have approached election in mood calm confidence, calculating slate would eke out victory in any event.5

Fact Stalin failed speak obviously spotlights speeches other Politburo members (Embtels 789, March 8; 820, 821, March 11).6

Barbour
  1. This telegram was relayed to London, Paris, and Rome at 6:40 a. m. on March 12.↩
  2. See Foreign Relations, The Soviet Union, 1933–1939, footnote 27, p. 301.↩
  3. See ibid., 1946, vol. vi, pp. 694–696. For other documentation on the elections for the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union in 1946, see ibid., pp. 673 ff.↩
  4. Harrison E. Salisbury was correspondent in Moscow for the New York Times. ↩
  5. The Chargé reported in telegram 836 from Moscow on March 14, that a Central Electoral Commission communiqué had stated that there were 111,008,625 voters on the rolls (there had been 101,717,686 in the 1946 election), of whom 110,964,172 or 99.96 percent had voted. Of these more than 99 percent had voted for the Communist and nonparty bloc candidates. (761.00/3–1450)↩
  6. None printed. The Embassy sent condensed Joint Press Heading Service translations of the election speeches of 11 Politburo members in despatch 319 from Moscow on March 17, not printed. (761.00/3–1750)↩