Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "7788604",
    "label": "War Department Report, The Soviet Union",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7788604"
}

{
    "id": "7788604",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7788604",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "War Department Report, The Soviet Union",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7788604",
    "collections": [
        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
        "Subject Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Cold War",
        "International relations",
        "United States-Soviet relations"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/4/7886/7788604/content/presidential-libraries/truman/602191/750715/hst-psf_750715_02-93.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/4/7886/7788604/content/presidential-libraries/truman/602191/750715/hst-psf_750715_02-93.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/4/7886/7788604/content/presidential-libraries/truman/602191/750715/hst-psf_750715_02-93.jpg",
    "imageCount": 95,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7788604",
    "naId": 7788604,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "logicalDate": "1948-01-01",
            "year": 1948
        }
    ],
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 22,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/4/7886/7788604/content/presidential-libraries/truman/602191/750715/hst-psf_750715_02-55.jpg",
    "mediaId": "2c076afe0ba85002",
    "ocrText": "INSTRUMENTS USED IN SOVIET\nSUBVERSIVE ACTIVITY\nSoviet foreign policy is best defined as that foreign\neign Affairs, are responsible for the day-to-day intercourse\npolicy which seeks a relative increase in the power of the\nwith Governments abroad. The Soviets have built for\nSoviet Union as compared with that of other States not\nthemselves an elaborate apparatus of Western democratic\nunder\nSoviet influence.34 This objective requires: (1) the\npractice a Foreign Office; world-wide diplomatic and con-\nstrengthening of the Soviet Union; and (2) the weakening\nsular services capable of excessive devotion to protocol and\nof other Powers.\nlavish representational display; and an array of treaties.\nThe first concern of the Soviet authorities to assure the\nThis apparatus, however, hides a subversive espionage net-\nsuccess of their foreign policy is the internal strength of\nwork based on the communication facilities and privileged\nthe Soviet Union itself. Accordingly, major emphasis is\nposition of their representatives abroad.\nlaid upon (1) strengthening the economy, particularly the\n\"Joiners\".-Another device of Soviet foreign policy is\nbasic industrial resources; (2) strengthening the armed\nfound in its relation to international organizations. Gen-\nforces; and (3) absolute control by the Communist Party\nerally speaking, the Soviet Government will join an in-\nthrough all sectors of the economic and social fabric. The\nternational organization only when it sees profit for policy\ndictatorship of the Communist Party necessarily requires:\nobjectives and will refrain from joining when it sees no\n(1) an extensive internal secret police system ; and (2) gov-\nimmediate or long-range gain. On other occasions, it will\nernment control of all channels of information and ex-\njoin in the preliminary stages of formation of such organ-\npression, in order to mold the minds of the Russian people\nizations, either to insure that they will conform to Soviet\nin the manner their masters desire, meanwhile isolating\nconceptions or to delay and sabotage their establishment.\nthem from the opinions or knowledge of the outside world.\nAgain, joining, at times, is merely a disguise to obtain in-\nIn order to accomplish the second part of its basic foreign\nformation about the purposes of other Governments form-\npolicy-that is, a decrease in the relative power of other\ning such organizations. On the basis of the record, the\nStates which are not under Soviet influence-various de-\nSoviet Government appears to have little interest per se\nvices and instruments are used by the Soviet Government\nin international organizations, except those which it spon-\nabroad. These instruments may be divided conveniently\nsors and can control for its policy objectives.\ninto three categories: (1) open legitimate instruments; (2)\nsemiconcealed instruments: and (3) secret instruments.\nSemi-Concealed Instruments\nSoviet leaders, influenced by considerations of estab-\nlished international practice and usage only insofar as they\nPuppet Governments.-The device whereby other\naffect the utility of the weapon which they choose to use in\nStates which are practically Soviet puppets, or at least\nany given circumstance, see no advantage in playing the\nstrongly under Soviet influence, are used in international\ngame according to the rules, which they regard as sus-\naffairs to carry out Soviet policy is well known. One\npicious devices of the antagonistic Western world. The\nrecent example of this was when the Ukrainian Foreign\ndividing line between the \"legitimate\" and the \"concealed\"\nMinister preferred charges against British troops in\ninstruments of Soviet foreign policy thus becomes blurred\nGreece before the Security Council while Yugoslavia\nand shifting.\nserved as a secure assembly ground for the Communist\nforces which actually penetrated Greece. Poland, Yugo-\nOpen Legitimate Instruments\nslavia, and Czechoslovakia regularly vote on the Soviet\nside of the question at hand, as do the so-called independ-\nDiplomacy.-The open legitimate instruments of Soviet\nent Soviet Republics, the Ukraine and Belorussia.\nforeign policy abroad are the Soviet Embassies, Legations,\nNationality Formula.-To project Soviet power in\nand Consulates which, under the Soviet Ministry of For-\nthe territories adjacent to the borders of the U. S. S. R.,\n34 Lenin once said that \"we are living not merely in a State but in\nthe Soviets have found a ready device in the many non-\na system of States and it is inconceivable that the Soviet Republic\nRussian nationalities within the territorial limits of neigh-\nshould continue to exist for a long period side by side with Im-\nboring States. It is a device used either for political\nperialist States. Ultimately, one or the other must conquer.\"\npenetration or, in some cases, for the absorption of neigh-\nRESTRICTED\n55"
}