“THE RUSSIAN PROBLEM”
George M. Elsey, February 1946
George McKee Elsey (1918-2015) was a Commander, U.S. Naval Reserve, and Duty Officer,
White House Map Room, 1941-1946; Assistant to the Special Counsel to the President, 1947-
1949; Administrative Assistant to the President, 1949-1951; Assistant to the Director, Mutual
Security Agency, 1951-1953. He landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day as a military historian.
Elsey accompanied President Truman to the Potsdam Conference in 1945 and worked as a
speech writer for Truman’s 1948 presidential campaign.
Washington, 1946
The Russian Problem
I. Basic features of Soviet Post-war outlook, as it is presented by official
propaganda machine.
A. USSR is encircled by capitalism and there can be no permanent peaceful
coexistence with capitalism.
B. Capitalist world is beset with internal conflicts, inherent in capitalist system.
Insoluble peacefully. Greatest is between US and UK.
C. These conflicts generate wars:
1. Between capitalist states, or
2. Wars against socialist world.
Capitalists prefer to fight against socialists rather than between themselves
D. A Capitalist war against USSR would cause delay in reaching of Soviet goals
and hence must be avoided, even though USSR would win it.
E. Wars between capitalist states might endanger USSR, but they offer great
chances to advance Soviet cause provided USSR remains powerful, and retains
present ideas and leaders.
F. Capitalist world is not all bad; it contains some Communists and some
progressives favorable to interests of USSR. These should be encouraged.
G. Dangerous elements in capitalist world are the social-democratic leaders who
confuse the people and really serve reactionary capitalists.
1
These premises lead to following deductions regarding policy:
A. Everything possible must be done to increase strength of USSR and decrease
capitalists.
B. Soviet efforts must be directed towards exploiting differences between
capitalist powers. If capitalist powers war against each other, war must be
turning into revolutions.
C. “Progressive” elements abroad must be utilized (i.e. 5th column)
D. Wage relentless battle against social-democratic leaders abroad
II. Background of Soviet Outlook.
A. Above does not represent natural outlook of Russian people who are friendly
to outside world. It is the party line, but as such it is binding on all in power
and authority.
B. Above premises are false. Capitalist and socialist states can live together and
internal capitalist struggles are due to advanced industrialization which Russia,
due to her backwardness, has not yet faced, not due to inevitable conflicts of
interest.
C. Falseness of premises, all of which are old and pre-date this war [WWII], is
proven by this war itself. US-UK differences not the greatest differences, nor
do all capitalist countries want to turn on USSR, nor [do] their weaknesses
cause them to collapse.
D. Fact that USSR still puts forth these theses shows:
1. Soviet party line not based on objective analysis of world outside Russia,
2. It is based instead on inner-Russian needs.
E. “At bottom of Kremlin’s neurotic view of world affairs is traditional and
instinctive Russian sense of insecurity.”
1. Rulers fear what would happen if people learn about outside world.
2. Marxist dogma is justification for instinctive fear of outside world – “it is
perfect vehicle for sense of insecurity with which Bolsheviks, even more
than previous Russian rulers, were afflicted.” “In this dogma, with its basic
altruism of purpose, they found justification for their instinctive fear of
outside world, for the dictatorship without which they did not know how to
rule, for cruelties they did not dare to inflict, for sacrifices they felt bound
to demand. In the name of Marxism they sacrificed every single ethical
value in their methods and tactics. Today they cannot dispense with it. It
is the fig leaf of their moral and intellectual respectability. Without it they
would stand before history, at best, as only the last of that long succession
2
of cruel and wasteful Russian rulers who have relentlessly forced country
on to ever new heights of military power in order to guarantee external
security of their internally weak regimes. This is why Soviet purposes must
always be solemnly clothed in trappings of Marxism, and why no one
should underrate importance of dogma in Soviet affairs. Thus Soviet
leaders are driven necessities of their own past and present position to put
forward a dogma which regards outside world as evil, hostile and
menacing…This thesis provides justification for that increase of military
and police power of Russian state, for that isolation of Russian population
from outside world…Basically this is only the steady advance of uneasy
Russian nationalism…But in new guise of international Marxism, with its
honeyed promises to a desperate and war torn outside world, it is more
dangerous and insidious than ever before.”
Source: George M Elsey, “Memorandum, The Russian Problem,” February 1946. National
Archives and Record Administration, George M Elsey Papers, Foreign Relations – Russia, 1946.
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/301668212 (accessed: March 21, 2025).
