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    "localId": "470155347",
    "label": "Report, Foreign Radio Reactions to the State of the Union Message",
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    "id": "470155347",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Report, Foreign Radio Reactions to the State of the Union Message",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/470155347",
    "collections": [
        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
        "Intelligence Files"
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    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 9,
            "logicalDate": "1950-01-09",
            "month": 1,
            "year": 1950
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    "seq": 2,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "RESTRICTED\nINTRODUCTION: The Soviet Satellite radios are no longer alone in their attacks on\nthe President's message. Radio Moscow, with several commentaries on the subject, has\nfinally added its voice to the chorus of Communist criticism. Although somewhat more\noutspoken against the message than the initial Satellite radio charges, these Soviet\ncommentaries add little new content to the overall pattern of Moscow's output. Moscow\nconcentrates on two major propaganda lines: (1) the \"obvious\" advance of the American\neconomic crisis belies the President's \"affected optimism\" and his \"ornate, untruthful\nphrases\" about the internal state of the Union; and (2) his message is a frank\nadmission that the United States' \"aggressive, colonizing foreign policy\" will be con-\ntinued. Moscow's propaganda, however, is not as unrestrained as has been the case on\nprevious occasions. Truman himself, for example, is nowhere called a \"warmonger.\"\nAnd there appears to be some concern with counteracting the President's \"hypocritical\nsupport of peace.\" Western radios continue to broadcast statements in praise of the\nmessage.\nTRUMAN CONCEALS U.S. ECONOMIC CRISIS: Although Moscow exploits the President's\n\"admission\" of an economic downturn during 1949, considerably more effort is devoted\nto \"proving\" that he demagogically distorted obvious facts about the American scene.\n\"Every word of his message,\" says a Soviet Home Service commentary, \"pursues but one\naim--that of concealing the true picture of America's internal life and the aggressive\ncolonizing nature of U.S. foreign policy.\" In addition to familiar assertions that\n\"everyone knows\" about the ruthless advance of the U.S. economic crisis during 1949,\nthe Soviet radio (as well as the Satellites) repeatedly cites a figure of 14 million\nAmerican unemployed, including \"part-time\" unemployed, and talks about a 22 percent\ndecline in industrial production during the first 10 months of 1949. Other \"facts\"\nallegedly contradicting the President's \"improbable assertions\" include allegations\nabout a decline in the American standard of living, price increases, wage reductions,\nand widespread inadequacies in housing, education, and health protection. Generalizing,\none commentator reminds listeners that \"the economic crisis inherent in the very\ncapitalist system has more than once shattered the United States; and its signs and\nindications are again obvious today.\"\nTRUMAN REAFFIRMS AMERICA'S AGGRESSIVE FOREIGN POLICY: Although Moscow and the\nSatellites devote more time to refutations of the President's optimistic statements\nDECLASSIFIED\nRESTRICTED\nAuthority E.O. 10501"
}