Stalin demanded his fleet have guaranteed access
to the Mediterranean through the Turkish Dardanelles.
Compliance meant Russian troops would control this
strategic area of Turkey. Saying no to Stalin
was a possible declaration of war with the Russians.
Truman sent his largest battleship to the Dardanelles
to demonstrate his support for Turkey.
The President had seen enough. From this point
forward, the gloves were off when dealing with Stalin.
FDR's third vice-president, Henry Wallace, was
among those characterizing Truman's position as
belligerent. We're breathing down Stalin's neck.
No wonder he's paranoid. Who wouldn't be.
We need a return to Roosevelt's patient,
understanding, negotiating style.
A Missouri mule resides in the Oval Office
at a time when the country needs reasoned
restraint, and the vision of greatness.
State Department hired this whiz kid named
Kennan. They trained him to be their Russian
expert, then assigned him to their embassy
in Moscow. They gave him a desk and
probably expected to never hear from him again.
February, 1946. Evening.
The teletype at State chatters to life.
Page upon page of fanfold paper is filled
with analysis of current Soviet strategy in what
has become known at the 'Long Telegram'.
It's from George Kennan, the Russian expert
stationed in Moscow. His conclusion becomes
the basis for Truman's containment policy.
Negotiations are a mere stall tactic for Stalin.
The Soviets respond only to strength.
The U.S. must prepare for a protracted struggle
with the Russians.
Russia's ancestors were farmers of a vast plain,
peasants who were periodically pillaged by
marauding neighbors. There was constant fear
of what lay just over the horizon.
To the west, civilizations developed into
organized nation-states that benefitted from
wealthy economies and large militaries.
Russia was weak by comparison and their
people paid the price with invasions from
Sweden, Poland, France and Germany,
among others.
Be aware. You have no friends.
Imagine being governed by a fiction.
The people are told only the news that fits the
government's narrative. Your own eyes and ears
contradict what is officially certified fact.
None the less, you spout the make believe.
It's for your own good.
Stalin allowed his citizens little access to the
outside world. No need to expose Russians to
troubling contradictions posed to them by foreigners.
After all, what do you believe when you no longer
believe what it is you know?
MAD.
This is a strategy based on the will to survive.
When negotiations fail and the military option
appears to be the only logical recourse left,
then it is time to consider the consequences.
A nuclear exchange between the U.S. and Russia
would destroy both nations. Even if one side
surprised the other side with a nuclear attack,
there would still be enough nuclear offensive remaining
for a response big enough to obliterate their attacker.
Moscow and Washington found themselves
bound in a pact of mutual suicide.
* * * * *
OVER EASY
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