Madison Mackay

History 2710- Moore

Document Research Paper
The Cold War was an inevitable event in history. There was so much hostility in
the air between America and the Soviet Union after World War II and many actions were
taken in order to keep the Cold War from becoming hot. Two specific documents were
used to try and decipher the different nations foreign policies. The first was the Long
Telegram by George Kennan and the second was a telegram sent by Nicolai Novikov.
These two documents show that the relationship between America and the Soviet Union
after World War II were very tense and filled with distrust.
George Kennans Long Telegram focused on the idea of containment.
Containment was a policy used to split the difference between a third world war and
appeasement. This strategy sought to contain Soviet expansion and Kennans telegram
analyzed the Soviet foreign policy (Kennan, George F.).
After the Soviets became well aware Kennans Long Telegram, Nicolai
Novikov sent a paralleled telegram to Moscow reviewing United States foreign policy.
Novikovs telegram stated that the United States sought world domination and that they
were acting on an offensive basis. He implies that the United States would infiltrate
European countries that were devastated by the war and offer economic aid. This would
then help lead to the United States becoming one of the most powerful countries
(Novikov, Nicolai).
The two authors of these documents sought to persuade the peoples trust. Post
war society was filled with tension and these documents gave further context into the

rigid relationship between America and the Soviet Union. Both authors analyze the
others foreign policies in an attempt to find a reason to suspect each other of foul play.
The Kennan document focused more on political points where the Novikov
document pointed out more economic factors. While the United States was definitely
becoming a more powerful nation, Novikov stressed that the U.S. sought material interest
through world domination. Kennan shows how democracy was actually the United States
main goal and that containment of the Soviet Union was the best thing for the world
(Naujokaite, Morta).
Many historians have attempted to analyze these documents in an attempt to
better understand what the main premise of that time was. Kennans telegram exemplifies
the views of orthodox-school historians while the Novikov telegram demonstrates the
views of revisionist historians (Naujokaite, Morta). The information we gain from these
documents gives us a better insight on the relationship between the United States and the
Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Works Cited
Kennan, George F. "Containment Policy (1947)." (n.d.): n. pag. Print.
Naujokaite, Morta. "Novikov's Telegram." N.p., 22 Oct. 2012. Web.
Novikov, Nicolai. "Telegram: 1946." (n.d.): n. pag. Print.