*** The Cold War -- World War II Allied Sympathy for the Soviet Union








Cold War: World War II Allied Sympathy for the Soviet Union

World War II sympathy for the Red Army
Figure 1.-- Here we see American children on their birthday donating their piggy bank money to the Red Army Month Fund in 1946. The press captiuon read, "Children Contribute to Russian Relief: Three-year-olds, born on Feb 3, 1943, the day of the surrender of Stalingrad , elebrate their birthday by contributing contents of their penny banks to launch Russian Relief's 'Red Army Month Fund' for orphans of Soviet soldiers. Participating in the anniversary party are, left to right: Garrett Anger, Elena Dikreva, eight-year-old Eussian-born child who accepted the contribution on behalf of Russian Relief, Glen Roth, and Martin Albert. All are from New York."

Western publics developed huge sympathy for the valliant Soviet people for the role in breaking the NAZIs jugernaught as part of the titanic struggle on the Eastern Front. Largely forgotten was the NAZI-Soviet Pact alliance and the Soviet aggressions in the East as a NAZI ally (1939-41). Or the terruble attrociries commited by the NKVD, similar in character to the NAZI SS, except for Hitler's Jewish mania. The Soviet aggressions was not nearly as well covered as the NAZI aggssions in the world media. And the NKVD did a better job of covering up incidents like Katyn then the SS did its killing. Unlike the modern Wesrern press, the coverage did not have an ideological bent. There was a left-wing media, especially in Europe, but the lack of reporting in the East had other causes. It was in part because of the country's involved. Poland, Finland, the Baltics, and Romania in the East were simply not of the same interest as Britain and France in the West. The western campaigns were also easier to cover than the wastern campaigns. A major factior here was that Britain did not fall. American reports like Edward R. Murrow reported daily from Britain, even during the height of the Blitz. Eastern Europe fter the NAZI and Soviet conquests was a journlistic black hole. All of this changed dramatically when Hitler launched Barbarossa, the NAZI invasion of the Soviet Union. At a time that Britain was largey impotent and America was not yet in the War, the Red Army ans Soviet people fought massive battles with the seemingly invincible Wehrmacht. The Soviet Union this gained great sympathy throughout Europe and America for the fight agaunst the Axis and the Germans in particular. Any mention of Soviet attrocities and aggression disappeared in the press. President Roosevelt began taklking aboyut 'Uncle Joe' and refused to even consider that Katyn was the work of the Soviets. (His major concern during the War was that Stalin would make a separate peace with the NAZIs.) The treatment of the Soviets in the Western press was nothing, but glowing. Not only was the Red Army fighting spirit lionized, but also the resistance of the Soviet people. The full story of NAZI barbarity in the East was not yet known, but the resistance of the people was given great coverage. Andthe fact that Western armies were not opening a second front added to the espect afforded the Soviets. Left unsaid was that the Soviets were fighting alone because of the NAZI-Soviet alliance and the fact that they aided the NAZIs in the destruction of the French Army (1940). This a the Cold War began to unfold with a continuing series of Soviet suppression of occupied people, it took some time for public opinion to change. Americans still thought of the Soviets as valiant fighting allies. Here the situation was different in Europe. Several European countries (especially Italy and France) has string Communist partis. And Brittain after the 1945 general election had aabout (Socialist) Governent. Sympathy for the Soviet Union was evem more entrenched. Public opinion was not going to turn on a dime.







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Created: 4:29 PM 8/25/2018
Last updated: 4:30 PM 8/25/2018