Poisoned feather. Too short memory, too inept speakers (part of 3)
Previous articles in this series described how our newspapers painted a heavy proportion of Germans in Germany who ate whale meat and sawdust margarine. But immediately after our troops entered the territory of Germany, for some reason, it turned out that German citizens were not in absolute poverty, hunger and cold there, as Soviet newspapers reported just a year ago, but on the contrary, they bathed in luxury and enriched by the population of the occupied states [1]. Their apartments were crammed with “things and products that the German army plundered in all European cities” [2]. German citizens drank French wines, ate Dutch oil and Yugoslav canned food, bought Czech shoes, Bohemian crystal, French perfumes and Greek sweets on the cheap in special stores.
English fighter "Hurricane", supplied to the USSR under lend-lease. Then, in Pravda, they didn’t write about him at all what A. S. Yakovlev in his book "The Stories of the aircraft designer."
Moreover, even after the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet press tried to support the negative attitude of Soviet citizens towards the civilian population of Germany [3] and the soldiers of the German army, who, according to publications of Soviet newspapers, continued to rage, even being in captivity [4], they were “ morally corrupt ”!
Judging by the articles from our newspapers, all Germans, without exception, had such defects as stinginess and heartlessness. As an example, the essay of the famous Kukriniks "In Germany" [5], which painted a vivid picture of the heartlessness and greed of the Germans, who behaved while dividing abandoned repatriated property as a "pack of jackals": "A decent looking man in bowlers, with briefcases and with canes, curled and dressed in fashion frau eagerly attacked the abandoned rags of their former slaves and slaves. They attentively examined these cloths and, busily loading them with baby carriages, took them home. On a clear summer day, against the backdrop of neatly trimmed green trees, these scenes of vile German greed looked particularly disgusting. ” Meanwhile, there was no point in this. After all, we are now lined up with the "new Germany", and there was no point in writing like that.
As for materials about life in the countries of the warring Europe [6], in the first half of 1941, a picture familiar to the Soviet people took place there: “The lack of certain food products led to long lines in food stores in various parts of England. In the counties of Nottingham and Derby, one has to queue up to get cheese, eggs, fish or meat ”[7]. In Italy, "the sale and consumption of cream is prohibited," in Hungary, "the norms of products that the peasants can keep in themselves are set", and in Oslo, "for several weeks already there is no meat." From materials of a similar nature, Soviet readers could learn that the civilian population and military personnel of Great Britain were put on the brink of survival [8], “the wives and children of South Welsh miners give most of their food rations to their husbands and fathers so that they can do your job ”[9]. Judging by the publications of Soviet newspapers, social inequality in the UK was evident even during the construction of bomb shelters [10], while in America, as usual, there were cases of lynching of blacks [11].
Immediately printed materials and ardent anti-British orientation, for example, Hitler's speech [12], which said that “wherever England appears, we will beat it” [13]. As for the United States, this country was almost on the verge of revolution [14].
But immediately after the start of hostilities on the territory of the USSR and the conclusion of an agreement between the USSR and Great Britain on joint actions against Hitler's Germany 12 in July 1941, as if by a wave of a magic wand, publications of this kind disappeared from the pages of Soviet newspapers, and Blacks in the US, they immediately stopped lynching. So the picture of the Western world, painted by the Soviet media, has changed dramatically once again - that is, everything, like J. Orwell: “Oceania always fought with Ostasia!” At the same time, for example, it turned out that “brutal German fascism is surrounded by great on the industrial front, he is confronted by the mighty defense industry of the Soviet Union, the military industry of Great Britain and the dominions, the rapidly growing power of the United States of America ”[15]. Moreover, if in one place the power of the USA was called “growing”, then literally in a week it “grew” so that it deserved from Pravda an epithet “huge”, i.e. the newspaper wrote that “the great economic power of the United States is well known” [16]. Soviet newspapers printed articles from which it was possible to find out that the people of Great Britain who had just starved themselves in the past unanimously supported the Soviet people in their struggle against the invaders, and here and there organized rallies [17]. In honor of the victories of the Red Army and the conclusion of agreements between the USSR and Great Britain, the British deployed folk festivals [18]. Pravda did not recall the famine that reigned in England. But the newspapers began to create a positive image of the British military [19] and constantly told that ordinary citizens of the United States and Great Britain are showing a keen interest in our country [20].
If we talk about the nature of informing the Soviet population about life in the United States, here we can highlight the following pattern: the priority topic of most publications about this country in 1941 - 1945. was the buildup of the military power of the United States. Soviet central and regional newspapers regularly informed the population about the expansion of military production in the United States [21], while giving figures and details that amazed the Soviet readers with their accuracy. The population of the USSR regularly found out that “the US military industry released 2 more times more products in the past year than the military industry of all the Axis powers” [22]. In order to convince Soviet readers of the invincible power of our allies, the newspapers used the following figures: “In 1943, 85 919 planes of all types were launched against 47 857 planes in 1942 ... There were 2 battleships in 45 000 last year, according to 11 15 tons of displacement each, 50 cruisers, 128 aircraft carriers, 36 convoy aircraft carriers, 56 destroyers, 23 convoy destroyers and 1945 submarines ”[1]. Data on the combat power of the US military continued to be published in detail in the pages of Soviet newspapers in 167: “The US naval ministry reported that the United States fleet currently has 37 59 combat ships, about 878 thousand airplanes and 3 24 airborne and auxiliary vessels. The number of warships is now more than 25 times the number of ships at the beginning of the war ”[26]. That is, Soviet newspapers informed Soviet citizens in detail about the development of the military sector of industry and the buildup of US forces. Another proof of this fact is the publication in the Soviet central [1944] and regional newspapers [XNUMX] information about deliveries under Lend-Lease, which even reported the number of millions of pairs of shoes supplied from the United States, Britain and Canada, i.e. given a completely secret , by military concepts, information! However, why it happened in XNUMX year, it is quite understandable. The fact that victory was not far off was obvious, and Stalin, on the one hand, needed to show his people how much the Allies supply us, and on the other, the same to show our enemies. Like, do not try, you can not win us!
One of the articles in Pravda about the growing US military power.
At the same time, propaganda of the US military-technical achievements, as well as their American scientific potential, was truly comprehensive in the Soviet press and took place not only on the pages of central and local newspapers, but also on a variety of magazines, including such a popular magazine as "Technology Youth". There, reports on developments and scientific discoveries made in this country were printed practically from number to number. And it is interesting that the newspaper “Stalin's Banner” began to put photos of the newest American warships and, in particular, the battleship “Washington” before the United States was attacked by Japan and turned into a war veteran and ally of the USSR [27].
Moreover, such propaganda itself was also supplemented by the life experience of the citizens of the USSR themselves, as well as soldiers and officers who directly owned information on this issue, since during the war they were constantly confronted with equipment and weapons supplied from England and the USA. These were Tanks and artillery, the famous jeeps, doji and studebakers, more advanced than Soviet cars, planes, radio stations, wheeled-tracked armored personnel carriers (which the USSR industry did not produce), while the Moscow air defense was carried out by the English Spitfire fighters ". From the USA, high-quality was delivered to the USSR aviation gasoline and industrial diamonds, multi-ton presses, stamping towers of the best tank of the Second World War, the Soviet T-34, many types of valuable military raw materials and metal. All this confirmed in the minds of people information from newspapers and magazines that the USA is the most advanced country in all respects and that newspapers report on its achievements is absolutely true!
Thus, it was our Soviet press, along with the direct contacts of Soviet citizens with citizens of Western democracies with industrial products of Western countries, created around the same US a halo of technically powerful and highly developed power, which it also had to fight after the war during the period of the persecution of "low worship" before the West. " It was then that, in contrast to the "pernicious" influence of the West, the Soviet Union would begin a struggle for priorities in scientific and geographical discoveries, in technical inventions and cultural achievements. However, time will be largely lost. Moreover, without realizing it, the Soviet ideologists will go in this struggle along the already beaten path and begin to repeat the theses and arguments of the Slavophiles, supporters of a special, Russian path to stories. That is, all those whom they in 1920 and 1930 years mercilessly scourged as great-power nationalists and chauvinists, which also will not go unnoticed among fairly intelligent and educated people whose opinions should not be neglected.
During the war years, it was completely overlooked that the United States and Britain were still countries with a different social and economic system from the USSR, and that today's friend could become an enemy tomorrow, which very soon was confirmed. The slightest change in the political situation in this case would lead to the need now not to praise his yesterday’s ally, but to scold him, and this would require the destruction of the previously established information stereotype of the population of the country, which is always an extremely complex and costly task. However, the Soviet leaders apparently piously believed in the power of both their newspaper propaganda and repressive bodies, and believed that all the costs of inept informing the population with their help could be successfully overcome. Therefore, no "praise" for such a powerful ally in this regard is now not excessive. For example, in 1943, publications in the Soviet press, for example, appeared on the decade of establishing diplomatic relations between the USSR and the USA, which were extremely optimistic in their content. In particular, they noted that “Soviet-American relations became more and more friendly throughout these 10 years, and“ Americans can rejoice in the friendship program with Russia that President Roosevelt began to conduct 10 years ago ”[28]. Moreover, the Soviet press no longer wrote about any proletarian revolution, which was about to break out in the United States, as well as about the plight of blacks and Indians. This topic immediately became irrelevant. But that the prospects for friendship between the United States and the Soviet Union in the postwar period are very favorable [29], in the newspapers were constantly reported. Moreover, in order to enhance sympathy for US citizens, they wrote that Americans are very interested in Soviet culture [30], admire the successes of Soviet medicine [31], and even began to celebrate memorable dates for citizens of the USSR [32]. At the same time, no measure was respected either in those years when our press predicted to the United States a complete collapse and quick death, or at the time when, by force of circumstances, England and the United States became our allies in the anti-Hitler coalition!
Such materials were also complemented by literary works, and, in particular, A. Kazantsev's science fiction novel “The Arctic Bridge” published in the journal “Technika-Youth”. The main theme of which was based on the idea of Soviet-American cooperation, which began during the war, friendship and mutual understanding between our states [33]. It should be borne in mind that in its power the artistic word far exceeds the publicistic genre. That is, it is necessary to note the variety of means used to convey to the Soviet population the idea of cooperation with the United States. Meanwhile, in real politics nothing of the kind was out of the question, and our leaders and propagandists should understand this and appropriately reflect this situation in the press, and not make it desirable.
Here, however, it should be noted that during the war years, as in the previous time, Soviet newspapers reacted very sensitively to the slightest inconsistencies that arose on the foreign policy arena and the appearance of any contradictions between the USSR and the USA, which immediately caused the appearance of critical content in Soviet newspapers. . So, in 1945, they again began to publish materials about the plight of American workers [34], and only because the positions of our countries did not coincide on the issues of the postwar world order. Then, on the pages of Pravda, there was a lively controversy about Walter Lippman’s book US Military Objectives, in which he put forward his ideas in this area. According to the material published in Pravda [35], “Lippman divides the world into several geographical centers, around which he draws orbits: one around the US and calls it the Atlantic Commonwealth of Nations, the other around the USSR and calls it the Russian sphere” , the third - around China; He foresees the creation of the fourth in the future in the region of India and Muslim countries. ” Since this viewpoint was at odds with the foreign policy objectives of the Soviet government, it was immediately subjected to sharp criticism. For example, a certain A. Georgiev wrote that "the Lippmann orbits are sheer fiction," since "any attempt to build a world without and against the participation of the Soviet Union is fraught with dire consequences for humanity." Then Pravda published the answer by Lippman, who, however, was also subjected to severe criticism [36]. And in fact, by the way, in the end it happened. Lippman looked like in the water. But ... our leaders thought otherwise, therefore, in the newspapers he wasn’t only defamed then only by the most lazy journalist ...
Then in the Soviet newspapers began to appear critical materials about alleged anti-Soviet publications in the American and European press [37], the content of which was at odds with the image of our country as a democratic state and peacemaker created by the Soviet government in those years. For example, it was reported that “with persistence worthy of a better use, the American newspaper The New York Times has repeatedly stated that in Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary there are“ totalitarian regimes ”[38]. Articles have been published about the anti-Soviet sentiments of a number of American and British politicians [39]. However, at that time such articles appeared infrequently on the pages of Soviet newspapers and looked like a kind of “trial balloons”.
At the same time, on the pages of the Soviet press, the Soviet Union positioned itself as a certain point of intersection of all the world foreign policy interests of all countries, and caused either total hatred or the most unlimited love. There was simply no middle ground! And that's the sad thing. Now the same! What information portal you don’t look at, either we “pulled everyone”, or they offend and deceive us all. Very superficial, black and white vision of the world.
This was evidenced by such materials as the responses of the foreign press to events in the USSR, the vastness of which unwittingly made a strong impression on [40], and most importantly because these were the responses published in the press, they gave the full impression of their credibility, as well as the credibility of all other materials published in Soviet newspapers. First of all, it concerned those materials of foreign newspapers, which spoke about the success of our troops in military actions against the Nazis [41], and especially many of them appeared in 1941 - 1942. - and why exactly this period is also understandable. Of these, the Soviet people learned that "the Russians have millions of soldiers and enormous resources, their army is growing every day" [42], that "the Red Army is driving the Germans from their native land ... Russia is still the only front from which favorable information »[43]. And its invincibility, judging by the materials of Soviet newspapers, was recognized even by the Japanese and the Romanians [44]. And the technical and military equipment of our army at the very beginning of the war "exceeded all expectations" [45] of foreign journalists. It should be noted here that the materials of the foreign press with critical remarks about the conduct of hostilities by the Red Army never appeared on the pages of our newspapers. But in the period when our troops experienced military setbacks, no feedback from the foreign press on the course of the war was printed on our territory at all, as if they were completely absent!
Speaking about the nature of the presentation of materials of foreign press in the pages of Soviet newspapers, it is necessary to pay attention to the specifics of creating the image of Stalin as the head of the country, drawn in these messages. Although some researchers have noted a decrease in the number of praises addressed to the national leader during the war years [46], from the responses of the foreign press appearing on the pages of our newspapers, this is not completely visible. According to Soviet newspapers, it was characteristic of foreign media to enthusiastically respond to the role of Stalin in the management of hostilities [47], the military skill of the Soviet leader was known even in Mexico, as evidenced, for example, from numerous publications in Todo [48]. Soviet readers could once again be convinced that they had nothing to fear, because "Stalin's genius enlightened the world" [49]. It turned out that foreign journalists admired the personality of Stalin in the same way as the entire Soviet people. For example, it was reported that “radio commentator Henle said that Stalin’s comment on the important contribution of the USA and England to the war shows that Stalin is a great political leader and realist” [50], i.e. in other words, the foreign press was characterized by the same manner of presenting materials about the Soviet realities as the Soviet, although in reality this was far from being the case!
Sadly, the tendency of the Soviet media to consider everything happening in the world through the prism of domestic political events and their own view of life was not only ridiculous, but most importantly, it did not bring any benefit to the Soviet propaganda system in conducting campaign campaigns aimed at the enemy troops during the war years. On the contrary, it prevented her from achieving her goals. This is evidenced, for example, in his work F. Vergasov [51], who analyzed the methods and techniques of our propaganda against soldiers of the German army during the war years. In his opinion, in this regard, they were completely ineffective. Field Marshal F. Paulus also spoke about the ineffectiveness of Soviet propaganda against the soldiers of the German army: “In the first months of the war, your propaganda addressed in its leaflets to German workers and peasants dressed in soldier overcoats and urged them to fold weapon and run to the Red Army. I read your flyers. How many are transferred to you? Just a bunch of deserters. Traitors are in every army, including yours. It says nothing and proves nothing. And if you want to know who supports Hitler most of all, it is our workers and peasants. It was they who brought him to power and proclaimed the leader of the nation. It was with him that the people from the outlying lanes, the parvenya, became the new gentlemen. It’s clear that your theory of class struggle doesn’t always meet ends ”[52].
Interestingly, in 1945, Soviet newspapers very sparingly wrote about the nuclear bombardment of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki only because the coverage of these events was contrary to the foreign policy of the Soviet government of that time. In addition, publications about these events could destroy the image of the United States as a peacemaker created by Soviet newspapers if the Soviet people knew about the real consequences of these bombings. In particular, the central press did not post on its pages any materials relating to this topic, and, accordingly, the regional newspapers did not write about this either.
Sadly, but the fact that, along with numerous distortions of reality and absurdities, Soviet newspapers (naturally, following instructions from above), as in 30-s, went down to the most blatant lies and suppression of truly glaring facts, which, meanwhile, just should be used for anti-fascist propaganda.
For example, the Soviet press reported nothing about the terrorist attack on Stalingrad 23 August 1942. As by the number of aircraft participating in this operation, and by the weight of the bombs dropped on the city, this was the most massive German air raid on Soviet territory since the beginning of the war. The English historian A. Clark later wrote that some crews managed to make three sorties, and more than half of the bombs dropped on the city were incendiary [53]. Due to the fact that the summer was very hot and dry, the use of just such bombs to create massive fires was very effective. Almost 42 thousand buildings or 85% of the housing stock of Stalingrad were destroyed or burned, and how many people died in the process is impossible to count, because the city was overcrowded with evacuees and refugees.
“Tortured everything that could burn: houses, fences, trams, steamboats,” leads historian D. B. Khazanov [54] memoirs of the front-line writer A.V. Ivankina. - Burned oil spilled on the Volga. The fire roared, devouring everything and taking the remaining oxygen from the air, which, mixed with smoke, became unsuitable for breathing. Those who did not burn or did not receive severe burns, died of suffocation in the basements and rubble of burned houses. Fire trucks could not pass through some burning streets: they were so hot that there were instances of a gas tank explosion. ”
Meanwhile, what could these days learn from the reports of the Soviet Information Bureau? Yes, only that 23 August fights in the area of Kotelnikovo, as well as south of Krasnodar continued, that the prisoner Erich Weykheld [55] reported that only a few people remained from his company and ... everything! And neither in the morning, nor in the evening reports from August 25 about the bombing of Stalingrad were reported! The most impressive was the letter from Enrico Kalluci to Milan on the battlefield, where he wrote that the Cossacks had attacked them ... a 200 man had died, and that the position of his unit was awful [56]. But again, the battles at Stalingrad were said very sparingly - the battles at Kotelnikovo and at the stanitsa of Kletskaya.
What or who was afraid of our government, secret this information, or rather drove it to the level of rumors and speculations? Of course, his people and the loss of credibility on his part. Meanwhile, in a similar situation - a terrorist raid on Coventry - Winston Churchill used his propaganda effect to the maximum. He not only addressed England, and his government organized comprehensive assistance to the inhabitants of the ruined city, but literally the whole country under his order was hung with posters with the inscription: “Remember Coventry!” In a similar way, we could do the same British, declare a national day of help to Stalingrad, start a fundraiser for its post-war reconstruction, install billboards on the roads with the inscription: “Remember Stalingrad!” That was the reason to instill confidence that “victory will be ours”, but ... nothing for it was not the kind was done. The newspapers were silent. Billboards did not appear.
And it can hardly be justified by talking about the fact that, “in the time of disaster, all means are good, if only they would raise the spirits of the masses and thereby bring victory closer”. No, not all! Not all, because after the war comes peacetime, people start to look around, remember, think and ... gradually, they completely no longer trust the "party press", and with it the government itself, to which it belongs! Needless to say, any paradoxes in modern mass media is a dangerous thing and those who are responsible for these same funds in the country need to know this and don’t forget about it!
To be continued ...
1. V. Shilkin. In Germany // Stalin's Banner. February 28, 1945. No. 41. C.1
2. B. Polevoy. In German houses // Pravda. March 16, 1945. No. 64. C.3
3. "May lilies" and weeds // Pravda. July 18, 1945. No. 170. C.4; Connections of German industrialists with American firms // Stalin's Banner. August 2, 1945. No. 153. C.2
4. Investigation of the issue of the behavior of German prisoners of war in the USA // Pravda. February 16, 1945. No. 40. C.4
5. True. July 6, 1945. No. 160. C.3
6. Economic difficulties in Europe // Izvestia. January 10, 1941. No. 8. C.2; Economic difficulties in Europe // Izvestia. January 19, 1941. No. 16. C.2; Economic difficulties in Europe // Izvestia. January 26, 1941. No. 21. C.2; Food difficulties in Europe // Izvestia. February 8, 1941. No. 32. C.2; Food difficulties in Europe // Izvestia. May 6, 1941. No. 105. C.2
7. Food difficulties in Europe // Izvestia. January 17, 1941. No. 14. C.2
8. Lack of meat in England // Stalin's Banner. January 5, 1941. No. 4. P.4; The reduction of food rations in the British army. // Stalin's Banner. March 5, 1941. No. 53. P.4; Reducing the norms for issuing products to teams and employees of the naval fleet England // Stalin Banner. March 6, 1941. No. 54. C.4
9. The situation of the English miners // Stalin's Banner. March 15, 1941. No. 62. P.4
10. American correspondents on the situation in England // Izvestia. January 3, 1941. No. 2. C.2
11. Lynching of Negroes // Izvestia. January 7, 1941. No. 5.C.2
12. Hitler's speech // Stalin's Banner. February 26, 1941. No. 47. P.4
13. Hitler's speech // Stalin's Banner. February 1, 1941. No. 26. P.4;
14. The strike movement in the USA // Izvestia. January 25, 1941. No. 20. C.2; Strike at a military plant // Izvestia. February 2, 1941. No. 27. C.2; Strikes in the USA // Izvestia. February 5, 1941. No. 29. C.2; The strike movement in the USA // Izvestia. March 23, 1941. No. 69. C.2; The strike movement in the USA // Izvestia. March 28, 1941. No. 73. C.2; Fighting the strike movement in the USA // Izvestiya. April 2, 1941. No. 77. C.2; The strike movement in the USA // Izvestia. April 10, 1941. No. 84. C.2; The strike movement in the USA. // News. April 13, 1941. No. 87. C.2; The fight of the police against the striking workers in the USA // Stalin's Banner. January 16, 1941. No. 13. C.4; The strike movement in the USA // Stalin's Banner. January 26, 1941. No. 21. C.4; Strike movement in the USA. // Stalin's Banner. March 4, 1941. No. 52. C.4; Bus drivers' strike in New York // Stalin's Banner. March 12, 1941. No. 59. C.4
15. Bottlenecks of the German industry // Izvestia. August 16, 1941. No. 193. C.2
16. Resources of US industry // Izvestia. August 24, 1941. No. 200. C.2
17. News. July 3, 1941. No. 155. C.1; The working people of England express their solidarity with the Soviet Union // Izvestia. July 15, 1941. No. 165. C.4; Powerful movement of solidarity with the Soviet Union // Izvestia. July 24, 1941. No. 173. C.4
18. Folk festival in England, dedicated to the Anglo - Soviet cooperation. // News. August 5, 1941. No. 174. C.1; Rallies in England dedicated to the 27th anniversary of the Red Army // Pravda. March 4, 1945. No. 54. C.4
19. OK, Britain! // Is it true. January 16, 1942. No. 16. C.2; An English soldier returns to his homeland // Pravda. March 16, 1945. No. 64. C.3
20. Teacher's seminars in England to get acquainted with the USSR // Pravda. March 13, 1942. No. 72. C.4; US Interest in the Soviet Union // Pravda. March 28, 1942. No. 87. C.4; Researchers' Conference in London. // Is it true. February 6, 1943. No. 37. C.4; US Interest in Soviet Culture // Pravda. May 31, 1943. No. 138. C.4
21. Military production in the USA // Pravda. January 18, 1942. No. 18. C.4; The pace of arms production in the United States // Pravda. January 26, 1942. No. 26. C.4; Arms production in the USA // Pravda. January 16, 1943. No. 16. C.4; Launching a new American aircraft carrier // Pravda. January 25, 1943. No. 25. C.4; Construction of cargo ships in the USA // Pravda. March 8, 1943. No. 66. C.4; The growth of the sea power of England and the USA // Pravda. May 13, 1943. No. 122. C.4; The growth of the US armed forces // Pravda. June 16, 1943. No. 151. C.4; Appropriations for the army and navy in the USA // Pravda. June 20, 1943. No. 155. C.4; Construction of cargo flying boats in the USA // Pravda. January 7, 1944. No. 6. C.4; US military spending // Pravda. January 15, 1944. No. 13. C.4; Construction of new powerful warships in the USA // Pravda. January 27, 1944. No. 23. C.4; Successes of the American aircraft industry // Pravda. February 18, 1944. No. 42. C.4; Arms production in the USA in January // Pravda. February 27, 1944. No. 50. C.4; Military production in the USA in February // Pravda. March 31, 1944. No. 78. C.4; Landing craft construction in the USA // Pravda. April 2, 1944. No. 80. C.4; Appropriations for US naval needs // Pravda. April 14, 1944. No. 90. C.4; The US economy in the first half of 1944 // Is it true. August 9, 1944. No. 190. C.4; Arms production in the USA // Pravda. January 5, 1945. No. 4. C.4; Expanding the US Naval Construction Program // Pravda. March 10, 1945. No. 59. C.4; Production of new heavy-duty bombers in the USA // Pravda. March 21, 1945. No. 68. C.4
22. Arms production in the USA in 1943 // Pravda. January 5, 1944. No. 4. C.4
23. Arms production in the USA // Pravda. January 30, 1944. No. 26. C.4
24. US Navy // True. January 4, 1945. No. 3. C.4
25. On the supply of weapons to the Soviet Union, strategic raw materials, industrial equipment and food by the United States of America, Great Britain and Canada // Pravda. June 11, 1944. No. 140. C.1; On the supply of weapons, strategic raw materials, industrial equipment and food to the Soviet Union by the United States of America, Great Britain and Canada // Izvestia. June 11, 1944. No. 138. C.1
26. On the supply of weapons to the Soviet Union, strategic raw materials, industrial equipment and food by the United States of America, Great Britain and Canada // Stalin's Banner. June 13, 1944. No. 116. C.1-2
27. Stalinist Banner. October 29, 1941. No. 255. C.2
28. Decade of establishing diplomatic relations between the USA and the USSR // Pravda. November 17, 1943. No. 283. C.1
29. Prospects for US-Soviet trade // Pravda. February 13, 1944. No. 38. C.4; American-Soviet friendship rally // Pravda. January 28, 1945. No. 24. C.4
30. The growth of American-Soviet cultural ties // Pravda. October 22, 1944. No. 254. C.4
31. American newspaper about the successes of Soviet military medicine // Pravda. February 19, 1944. No. 43. C.4
32. Celebration in the USA of the 25th anniversary of the Red Army // Pravda. February 25, 1943. No. 56. C.4; Preparations in the USA for the Day of the Red Army // Pravda. February 20, 1944. No. 44. C.4; Meeting in New York in honor of the Red Army // Pravda. February 24, 1944. No. 46. C.4; Celebration in the USA of the 27th anniversary of the Red Army // Pravda. February 24, 1945. No. 47. C.4; Meeting in the USA in honor of International Women's Day // International Review // Pravda. July 8, 1945. No. 162. C.4
33. See Youth Technique. No. 9.1943. pp.15-25
34. Strike in the USA // Pravda. July 28, 1945. No. 232. C.4; The strike movement in the USA // Pravda. November 1, 1945. No. 261. C.4; The strike movement in the USA // Pravda. November 5, 1945. No. 265. C.4; The strike movement in the USA // Stalin's Banner. October 17, 1945. No. 206.C.2; The struggle of American trade unions for higher wages // Stalin's Banner. October 17, 1945. No. 206. C.2
35. A. Georgiev. About Walter Lippman's book "US Military Targets" // Pravda. March 16, 1945. No. 64. C.4
36. About the book by Walter Lippman "US Military Targets" // Pravda. April 20, 1945. No. 94. C.4
37. International Review // Pravda. July 8, 1945. No. 162. C.4; Competition of slanderers // Pravda. July 16, 1945. No. 169. C.4; International Review // Pravda. September 30, 1945. No. 234. C.4
38. International Review // Pravda. September 9, 1945. No. 216. C.4
39. Hysteria of Mrs. Claire Luce // Truth. July 14, 1945. No. 167. C.4; Welles' article on German policy // Pravda. July 25, 1945. No. 178. C.4
40. The press of Latin America about the combat successes of the Soviet troops // Pravda. January 20, 1943. No. 20. C.4; Australian newspaper about the successes of the Soviet troops // Pravda. January 21, 1943. No. 21. C.4; Iranian press about the victory of the Red Army near Stalingrad // Pravda. February 8, 1943. No. 39. C.4; Syrian press about the offensive of the Red Army // Pravda. February 16, 1943. No. 47. C.4; Responses abroad to Comrade Stalin's May Day order // Pravda. May 5, 1943. No. 115. C.4; Canadian press about the decision of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR // Pravda. February 4, 1944. No. 30. C.4; Comments of the newspaper "France" to the decisions of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR // Pravda. February 5, 1944. No. 31. C.4; Swiss newspaper about the victories of the Red Army // Pravda. February 23, 1944. No. 46. C.4; "Times" about the successes of the Red Army // Pravda. February 28, 1944. No. 51. C.4; Mexican press about the successes of the Red Army // Pravda. March 11, 1944. No. 61. C.4; Responses abroad to the decisions of the Crimean Conference of the Leaders of the Three Allied Powers // Pravda. February 15, 1945. No. 39. C.3
41. English military observer about the great successes of the Red Army // Izvestia. July 26, 1941. No. 175. C.4; Foreign press notes the valor and military art of the Red Army // Izvestiya. July 27, 1941. No. 176. C.4; Foreign press about the combat operations of the Red Army // Pravda. January 7, 1942. No. 7. C.4; Foreign press about the combat operations of the Red Army // Pravda. January 9, 1942. No. 9. C.4; The successful offensive of the Red Army in the assessment of the foreign press // Pravda. January 19, 1942. No. 19. C.4; Yugoslav newspaper about the 27th anniversary of the Red Army // Stalin's Banner. February 24, 1945. No. 38. C.2
42. Foreign press about the new victories of the Red Army // Pravda. January 5, 1942. No. 5. C.4
43. Foreign press about our successes at the front // Pravda. January 16, 1942. No. 16. C.4
44. News. July 6, 1941. No. 158. C.1; News. August 26, 1941. No. 201. C.1
45. Canadian press about the successes of the Red Army // Pravda. January 6, 1942. No. 6. C.4
46. Lomovtsev A.I. The media and their impact on the mass consciousness during the Second World War: Diss ... cand. ist. Sciences. Penza. 2002.p.130
47. True. February 7, 1943. No. 38. C.4; Responses abroad to the report of the Chairman of the State Defense Committee Comrade I.V. Stalin // Pravda. November 8, 1944. No. 269. C.4
48. Articles about Comrade Stalin in a Mexican magazine // Pravda. March 25, 1944. No. 73. C.4
49. True. January 14, 1945. No. 115. C.3
50. Responses of the foreign press and radio to the May Day order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Marshal of the Soviet Union Comrade I.V. Stalin // Pravda. May 5, 1944. No. 108. C.4
51. Vergasov F. Russia and the West. Formation of foreign policy stereotypes in the minds of Russian society in the first half of the twentieth century / / Chapter IV. The image of the West in the context of world wars. www.pseudology.org
52. Blank A., Khavkin B. The second life of Field Marshal Paulus. M.1990.S.173
53. Clark A. Barbarossa. The Russian-German Conflict 1941-1945. London, 1965. P.225.
54. Khazanov D.B. Stalingrad: August 23, 1942 // Military History Journal. 2009. No. 12. P.14.
55. Stalinist Banner. August 25, 1942. No. 200. C.2.
56. Ibid. August 26, 1942. No. 201. C.2.
To be continued ...
English fighter "Hurricane", supplied to the USSR under lend-lease. Then, in Pravda, they didn’t write about him at all what A. S. Yakovlev in his book "The Stories of the aircraft designer."
Moreover, even after the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet press tried to support the negative attitude of Soviet citizens towards the civilian population of Germany [3] and the soldiers of the German army, who, according to publications of Soviet newspapers, continued to rage, even being in captivity [4], they were “ morally corrupt ”!
Judging by the articles from our newspapers, all Germans, without exception, had such defects as stinginess and heartlessness. As an example, the essay of the famous Kukriniks "In Germany" [5], which painted a vivid picture of the heartlessness and greed of the Germans, who behaved while dividing abandoned repatriated property as a "pack of jackals": "A decent looking man in bowlers, with briefcases and with canes, curled and dressed in fashion frau eagerly attacked the abandoned rags of their former slaves and slaves. They attentively examined these cloths and, busily loading them with baby carriages, took them home. On a clear summer day, against the backdrop of neatly trimmed green trees, these scenes of vile German greed looked particularly disgusting. ” Meanwhile, there was no point in this. After all, we are now lined up with the "new Germany", and there was no point in writing like that.
As for materials about life in the countries of the warring Europe [6], in the first half of 1941, a picture familiar to the Soviet people took place there: “The lack of certain food products led to long lines in food stores in various parts of England. In the counties of Nottingham and Derby, one has to queue up to get cheese, eggs, fish or meat ”[7]. In Italy, "the sale and consumption of cream is prohibited," in Hungary, "the norms of products that the peasants can keep in themselves are set", and in Oslo, "for several weeks already there is no meat." From materials of a similar nature, Soviet readers could learn that the civilian population and military personnel of Great Britain were put on the brink of survival [8], “the wives and children of South Welsh miners give most of their food rations to their husbands and fathers so that they can do your job ”[9]. Judging by the publications of Soviet newspapers, social inequality in the UK was evident even during the construction of bomb shelters [10], while in America, as usual, there were cases of lynching of blacks [11].
Immediately printed materials and ardent anti-British orientation, for example, Hitler's speech [12], which said that “wherever England appears, we will beat it” [13]. As for the United States, this country was almost on the verge of revolution [14].
But immediately after the start of hostilities on the territory of the USSR and the conclusion of an agreement between the USSR and Great Britain on joint actions against Hitler's Germany 12 in July 1941, as if by a wave of a magic wand, publications of this kind disappeared from the pages of Soviet newspapers, and Blacks in the US, they immediately stopped lynching. So the picture of the Western world, painted by the Soviet media, has changed dramatically once again - that is, everything, like J. Orwell: “Oceania always fought with Ostasia!” At the same time, for example, it turned out that “brutal German fascism is surrounded by great on the industrial front, he is confronted by the mighty defense industry of the Soviet Union, the military industry of Great Britain and the dominions, the rapidly growing power of the United States of America ”[15]. Moreover, if in one place the power of the USA was called “growing”, then literally in a week it “grew” so that it deserved from Pravda an epithet “huge”, i.e. the newspaper wrote that “the great economic power of the United States is well known” [16]. Soviet newspapers printed articles from which it was possible to find out that the people of Great Britain who had just starved themselves in the past unanimously supported the Soviet people in their struggle against the invaders, and here and there organized rallies [17]. In honor of the victories of the Red Army and the conclusion of agreements between the USSR and Great Britain, the British deployed folk festivals [18]. Pravda did not recall the famine that reigned in England. But the newspapers began to create a positive image of the British military [19] and constantly told that ordinary citizens of the United States and Great Britain are showing a keen interest in our country [20].
If we talk about the nature of informing the Soviet population about life in the United States, here we can highlight the following pattern: the priority topic of most publications about this country in 1941 - 1945. was the buildup of the military power of the United States. Soviet central and regional newspapers regularly informed the population about the expansion of military production in the United States [21], while giving figures and details that amazed the Soviet readers with their accuracy. The population of the USSR regularly found out that “the US military industry released 2 more times more products in the past year than the military industry of all the Axis powers” [22]. In order to convince Soviet readers of the invincible power of our allies, the newspapers used the following figures: “In 1943, 85 919 planes of all types were launched against 47 857 planes in 1942 ... There were 2 battleships in 45 000 last year, according to 11 15 tons of displacement each, 50 cruisers, 128 aircraft carriers, 36 convoy aircraft carriers, 56 destroyers, 23 convoy destroyers and 1945 submarines ”[1]. Data on the combat power of the US military continued to be published in detail in the pages of Soviet newspapers in 167: “The US naval ministry reported that the United States fleet currently has 37 59 combat ships, about 878 thousand airplanes and 3 24 airborne and auxiliary vessels. The number of warships is now more than 25 times the number of ships at the beginning of the war ”[26]. That is, Soviet newspapers informed Soviet citizens in detail about the development of the military sector of industry and the buildup of US forces. Another proof of this fact is the publication in the Soviet central [1944] and regional newspapers [XNUMX] information about deliveries under Lend-Lease, which even reported the number of millions of pairs of shoes supplied from the United States, Britain and Canada, i.e. given a completely secret , by military concepts, information! However, why it happened in XNUMX year, it is quite understandable. The fact that victory was not far off was obvious, and Stalin, on the one hand, needed to show his people how much the Allies supply us, and on the other, the same to show our enemies. Like, do not try, you can not win us!
One of the articles in Pravda about the growing US military power.
At the same time, propaganda of the US military-technical achievements, as well as their American scientific potential, was truly comprehensive in the Soviet press and took place not only on the pages of central and local newspapers, but also on a variety of magazines, including such a popular magazine as "Technology Youth". There, reports on developments and scientific discoveries made in this country were printed practically from number to number. And it is interesting that the newspaper “Stalin's Banner” began to put photos of the newest American warships and, in particular, the battleship “Washington” before the United States was attacked by Japan and turned into a war veteran and ally of the USSR [27].
Moreover, such propaganda itself was also supplemented by the life experience of the citizens of the USSR themselves, as well as soldiers and officers who directly owned information on this issue, since during the war they were constantly confronted with equipment and weapons supplied from England and the USA. These were Tanks and artillery, the famous jeeps, doji and studebakers, more advanced than Soviet cars, planes, radio stations, wheeled-tracked armored personnel carriers (which the USSR industry did not produce), while the Moscow air defense was carried out by the English Spitfire fighters ". From the USA, high-quality was delivered to the USSR aviation gasoline and industrial diamonds, multi-ton presses, stamping towers of the best tank of the Second World War, the Soviet T-34, many types of valuable military raw materials and metal. All this confirmed in the minds of people information from newspapers and magazines that the USA is the most advanced country in all respects and that newspapers report on its achievements is absolutely true!
Thus, it was our Soviet press, along with the direct contacts of Soviet citizens with citizens of Western democracies with industrial products of Western countries, created around the same US a halo of technically powerful and highly developed power, which it also had to fight after the war during the period of the persecution of "low worship" before the West. " It was then that, in contrast to the "pernicious" influence of the West, the Soviet Union would begin a struggle for priorities in scientific and geographical discoveries, in technical inventions and cultural achievements. However, time will be largely lost. Moreover, without realizing it, the Soviet ideologists will go in this struggle along the already beaten path and begin to repeat the theses and arguments of the Slavophiles, supporters of a special, Russian path to stories. That is, all those whom they in 1920 and 1930 years mercilessly scourged as great-power nationalists and chauvinists, which also will not go unnoticed among fairly intelligent and educated people whose opinions should not be neglected.
During the war years, it was completely overlooked that the United States and Britain were still countries with a different social and economic system from the USSR, and that today's friend could become an enemy tomorrow, which very soon was confirmed. The slightest change in the political situation in this case would lead to the need now not to praise his yesterday’s ally, but to scold him, and this would require the destruction of the previously established information stereotype of the population of the country, which is always an extremely complex and costly task. However, the Soviet leaders apparently piously believed in the power of both their newspaper propaganda and repressive bodies, and believed that all the costs of inept informing the population with their help could be successfully overcome. Therefore, no "praise" for such a powerful ally in this regard is now not excessive. For example, in 1943, publications in the Soviet press, for example, appeared on the decade of establishing diplomatic relations between the USSR and the USA, which were extremely optimistic in their content. In particular, they noted that “Soviet-American relations became more and more friendly throughout these 10 years, and“ Americans can rejoice in the friendship program with Russia that President Roosevelt began to conduct 10 years ago ”[28]. Moreover, the Soviet press no longer wrote about any proletarian revolution, which was about to break out in the United States, as well as about the plight of blacks and Indians. This topic immediately became irrelevant. But that the prospects for friendship between the United States and the Soviet Union in the postwar period are very favorable [29], in the newspapers were constantly reported. Moreover, in order to enhance sympathy for US citizens, they wrote that Americans are very interested in Soviet culture [30], admire the successes of Soviet medicine [31], and even began to celebrate memorable dates for citizens of the USSR [32]. At the same time, no measure was respected either in those years when our press predicted to the United States a complete collapse and quick death, or at the time when, by force of circumstances, England and the United States became our allies in the anti-Hitler coalition!
Such materials were also complemented by literary works, and, in particular, A. Kazantsev's science fiction novel “The Arctic Bridge” published in the journal “Technika-Youth”. The main theme of which was based on the idea of Soviet-American cooperation, which began during the war, friendship and mutual understanding between our states [33]. It should be borne in mind that in its power the artistic word far exceeds the publicistic genre. That is, it is necessary to note the variety of means used to convey to the Soviet population the idea of cooperation with the United States. Meanwhile, in real politics nothing of the kind was out of the question, and our leaders and propagandists should understand this and appropriately reflect this situation in the press, and not make it desirable.
Here, however, it should be noted that during the war years, as in the previous time, Soviet newspapers reacted very sensitively to the slightest inconsistencies that arose on the foreign policy arena and the appearance of any contradictions between the USSR and the USA, which immediately caused the appearance of critical content in Soviet newspapers. . So, in 1945, they again began to publish materials about the plight of American workers [34], and only because the positions of our countries did not coincide on the issues of the postwar world order. Then, on the pages of Pravda, there was a lively controversy about Walter Lippman’s book US Military Objectives, in which he put forward his ideas in this area. According to the material published in Pravda [35], “Lippman divides the world into several geographical centers, around which he draws orbits: one around the US and calls it the Atlantic Commonwealth of Nations, the other around the USSR and calls it the Russian sphere” , the third - around China; He foresees the creation of the fourth in the future in the region of India and Muslim countries. ” Since this viewpoint was at odds with the foreign policy objectives of the Soviet government, it was immediately subjected to sharp criticism. For example, a certain A. Georgiev wrote that "the Lippmann orbits are sheer fiction," since "any attempt to build a world without and against the participation of the Soviet Union is fraught with dire consequences for humanity." Then Pravda published the answer by Lippman, who, however, was also subjected to severe criticism [36]. And in fact, by the way, in the end it happened. Lippman looked like in the water. But ... our leaders thought otherwise, therefore, in the newspapers he wasn’t only defamed then only by the most lazy journalist ...
Then in the Soviet newspapers began to appear critical materials about alleged anti-Soviet publications in the American and European press [37], the content of which was at odds with the image of our country as a democratic state and peacemaker created by the Soviet government in those years. For example, it was reported that “with persistence worthy of a better use, the American newspaper The New York Times has repeatedly stated that in Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary there are“ totalitarian regimes ”[38]. Articles have been published about the anti-Soviet sentiments of a number of American and British politicians [39]. However, at that time such articles appeared infrequently on the pages of Soviet newspapers and looked like a kind of “trial balloons”.
At the same time, on the pages of the Soviet press, the Soviet Union positioned itself as a certain point of intersection of all the world foreign policy interests of all countries, and caused either total hatred or the most unlimited love. There was simply no middle ground! And that's the sad thing. Now the same! What information portal you don’t look at, either we “pulled everyone”, or they offend and deceive us all. Very superficial, black and white vision of the world.
This was evidenced by such materials as the responses of the foreign press to events in the USSR, the vastness of which unwittingly made a strong impression on [40], and most importantly because these were the responses published in the press, they gave the full impression of their credibility, as well as the credibility of all other materials published in Soviet newspapers. First of all, it concerned those materials of foreign newspapers, which spoke about the success of our troops in military actions against the Nazis [41], and especially many of them appeared in 1941 - 1942. - and why exactly this period is also understandable. Of these, the Soviet people learned that "the Russians have millions of soldiers and enormous resources, their army is growing every day" [42], that "the Red Army is driving the Germans from their native land ... Russia is still the only front from which favorable information »[43]. And its invincibility, judging by the materials of Soviet newspapers, was recognized even by the Japanese and the Romanians [44]. And the technical and military equipment of our army at the very beginning of the war "exceeded all expectations" [45] of foreign journalists. It should be noted here that the materials of the foreign press with critical remarks about the conduct of hostilities by the Red Army never appeared on the pages of our newspapers. But in the period when our troops experienced military setbacks, no feedback from the foreign press on the course of the war was printed on our territory at all, as if they were completely absent!
Speaking about the nature of the presentation of materials of foreign press in the pages of Soviet newspapers, it is necessary to pay attention to the specifics of creating the image of Stalin as the head of the country, drawn in these messages. Although some researchers have noted a decrease in the number of praises addressed to the national leader during the war years [46], from the responses of the foreign press appearing on the pages of our newspapers, this is not completely visible. According to Soviet newspapers, it was characteristic of foreign media to enthusiastically respond to the role of Stalin in the management of hostilities [47], the military skill of the Soviet leader was known even in Mexico, as evidenced, for example, from numerous publications in Todo [48]. Soviet readers could once again be convinced that they had nothing to fear, because "Stalin's genius enlightened the world" [49]. It turned out that foreign journalists admired the personality of Stalin in the same way as the entire Soviet people. For example, it was reported that “radio commentator Henle said that Stalin’s comment on the important contribution of the USA and England to the war shows that Stalin is a great political leader and realist” [50], i.e. in other words, the foreign press was characterized by the same manner of presenting materials about the Soviet realities as the Soviet, although in reality this was far from being the case!
Sadly, the tendency of the Soviet media to consider everything happening in the world through the prism of domestic political events and their own view of life was not only ridiculous, but most importantly, it did not bring any benefit to the Soviet propaganda system in conducting campaign campaigns aimed at the enemy troops during the war years. On the contrary, it prevented her from achieving her goals. This is evidenced, for example, in his work F. Vergasov [51], who analyzed the methods and techniques of our propaganda against soldiers of the German army during the war years. In his opinion, in this regard, they were completely ineffective. Field Marshal F. Paulus also spoke about the ineffectiveness of Soviet propaganda against the soldiers of the German army: “In the first months of the war, your propaganda addressed in its leaflets to German workers and peasants dressed in soldier overcoats and urged them to fold weapon and run to the Red Army. I read your flyers. How many are transferred to you? Just a bunch of deserters. Traitors are in every army, including yours. It says nothing and proves nothing. And if you want to know who supports Hitler most of all, it is our workers and peasants. It was they who brought him to power and proclaimed the leader of the nation. It was with him that the people from the outlying lanes, the parvenya, became the new gentlemen. It’s clear that your theory of class struggle doesn’t always meet ends ”[52].
Interestingly, in 1945, Soviet newspapers very sparingly wrote about the nuclear bombardment of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki only because the coverage of these events was contrary to the foreign policy of the Soviet government of that time. In addition, publications about these events could destroy the image of the United States as a peacemaker created by Soviet newspapers if the Soviet people knew about the real consequences of these bombings. In particular, the central press did not post on its pages any materials relating to this topic, and, accordingly, the regional newspapers did not write about this either.
Sadly, but the fact that, along with numerous distortions of reality and absurdities, Soviet newspapers (naturally, following instructions from above), as in 30-s, went down to the most blatant lies and suppression of truly glaring facts, which, meanwhile, just should be used for anti-fascist propaganda.
For example, the Soviet press reported nothing about the terrorist attack on Stalingrad 23 August 1942. As by the number of aircraft participating in this operation, and by the weight of the bombs dropped on the city, this was the most massive German air raid on Soviet territory since the beginning of the war. The English historian A. Clark later wrote that some crews managed to make three sorties, and more than half of the bombs dropped on the city were incendiary [53]. Due to the fact that the summer was very hot and dry, the use of just such bombs to create massive fires was very effective. Almost 42 thousand buildings or 85% of the housing stock of Stalingrad were destroyed or burned, and how many people died in the process is impossible to count, because the city was overcrowded with evacuees and refugees.
“Tortured everything that could burn: houses, fences, trams, steamboats,” leads historian D. B. Khazanov [54] memoirs of the front-line writer A.V. Ivankina. - Burned oil spilled on the Volga. The fire roared, devouring everything and taking the remaining oxygen from the air, which, mixed with smoke, became unsuitable for breathing. Those who did not burn or did not receive severe burns, died of suffocation in the basements and rubble of burned houses. Fire trucks could not pass through some burning streets: they were so hot that there were instances of a gas tank explosion. ”
Meanwhile, what could these days learn from the reports of the Soviet Information Bureau? Yes, only that 23 August fights in the area of Kotelnikovo, as well as south of Krasnodar continued, that the prisoner Erich Weykheld [55] reported that only a few people remained from his company and ... everything! And neither in the morning, nor in the evening reports from August 25 about the bombing of Stalingrad were reported! The most impressive was the letter from Enrico Kalluci to Milan on the battlefield, where he wrote that the Cossacks had attacked them ... a 200 man had died, and that the position of his unit was awful [56]. But again, the battles at Stalingrad were said very sparingly - the battles at Kotelnikovo and at the stanitsa of Kletskaya.
What or who was afraid of our government, secret this information, or rather drove it to the level of rumors and speculations? Of course, his people and the loss of credibility on his part. Meanwhile, in a similar situation - a terrorist raid on Coventry - Winston Churchill used his propaganda effect to the maximum. He not only addressed England, and his government organized comprehensive assistance to the inhabitants of the ruined city, but literally the whole country under his order was hung with posters with the inscription: “Remember Coventry!” In a similar way, we could do the same British, declare a national day of help to Stalingrad, start a fundraiser for its post-war reconstruction, install billboards on the roads with the inscription: “Remember Stalingrad!” That was the reason to instill confidence that “victory will be ours”, but ... nothing for it was not the kind was done. The newspapers were silent. Billboards did not appear.
And it can hardly be justified by talking about the fact that, “in the time of disaster, all means are good, if only they would raise the spirits of the masses and thereby bring victory closer”. No, not all! Not all, because after the war comes peacetime, people start to look around, remember, think and ... gradually, they completely no longer trust the "party press", and with it the government itself, to which it belongs! Needless to say, any paradoxes in modern mass media is a dangerous thing and those who are responsible for these same funds in the country need to know this and don’t forget about it!
To be continued ...
1. V. Shilkin. In Germany // Stalin's Banner. February 28, 1945. No. 41. C.1
2. B. Polevoy. In German houses // Pravda. March 16, 1945. No. 64. C.3
3. "May lilies" and weeds // Pravda. July 18, 1945. No. 170. C.4; Connections of German industrialists with American firms // Stalin's Banner. August 2, 1945. No. 153. C.2
4. Investigation of the issue of the behavior of German prisoners of war in the USA // Pravda. February 16, 1945. No. 40. C.4
5. True. July 6, 1945. No. 160. C.3
6. Economic difficulties in Europe // Izvestia. January 10, 1941. No. 8. C.2; Economic difficulties in Europe // Izvestia. January 19, 1941. No. 16. C.2; Economic difficulties in Europe // Izvestia. January 26, 1941. No. 21. C.2; Food difficulties in Europe // Izvestia. February 8, 1941. No. 32. C.2; Food difficulties in Europe // Izvestia. May 6, 1941. No. 105. C.2
7. Food difficulties in Europe // Izvestia. January 17, 1941. No. 14. C.2
8. Lack of meat in England // Stalin's Banner. January 5, 1941. No. 4. P.4; The reduction of food rations in the British army. // Stalin's Banner. March 5, 1941. No. 53. P.4; Reducing the norms for issuing products to teams and employees of the naval fleet England // Stalin Banner. March 6, 1941. No. 54. C.4
9. The situation of the English miners // Stalin's Banner. March 15, 1941. No. 62. P.4
10. American correspondents on the situation in England // Izvestia. January 3, 1941. No. 2. C.2
11. Lynching of Negroes // Izvestia. January 7, 1941. No. 5.C.2
12. Hitler's speech // Stalin's Banner. February 26, 1941. No. 47. P.4
13. Hitler's speech // Stalin's Banner. February 1, 1941. No. 26. P.4;
14. The strike movement in the USA // Izvestia. January 25, 1941. No. 20. C.2; Strike at a military plant // Izvestia. February 2, 1941. No. 27. C.2; Strikes in the USA // Izvestia. February 5, 1941. No. 29. C.2; The strike movement in the USA // Izvestia. March 23, 1941. No. 69. C.2; The strike movement in the USA // Izvestia. March 28, 1941. No. 73. C.2; Fighting the strike movement in the USA // Izvestiya. April 2, 1941. No. 77. C.2; The strike movement in the USA // Izvestia. April 10, 1941. No. 84. C.2; The strike movement in the USA. // News. April 13, 1941. No. 87. C.2; The fight of the police against the striking workers in the USA // Stalin's Banner. January 16, 1941. No. 13. C.4; The strike movement in the USA // Stalin's Banner. January 26, 1941. No. 21. C.4; Strike movement in the USA. // Stalin's Banner. March 4, 1941. No. 52. C.4; Bus drivers' strike in New York // Stalin's Banner. March 12, 1941. No. 59. C.4
15. Bottlenecks of the German industry // Izvestia. August 16, 1941. No. 193. C.2
16. Resources of US industry // Izvestia. August 24, 1941. No. 200. C.2
17. News. July 3, 1941. No. 155. C.1; The working people of England express their solidarity with the Soviet Union // Izvestia. July 15, 1941. No. 165. C.4; Powerful movement of solidarity with the Soviet Union // Izvestia. July 24, 1941. No. 173. C.4
18. Folk festival in England, dedicated to the Anglo - Soviet cooperation. // News. August 5, 1941. No. 174. C.1; Rallies in England dedicated to the 27th anniversary of the Red Army // Pravda. March 4, 1945. No. 54. C.4
19. OK, Britain! // Is it true. January 16, 1942. No. 16. C.2; An English soldier returns to his homeland // Pravda. March 16, 1945. No. 64. C.3
20. Teacher's seminars in England to get acquainted with the USSR // Pravda. March 13, 1942. No. 72. C.4; US Interest in the Soviet Union // Pravda. March 28, 1942. No. 87. C.4; Researchers' Conference in London. // Is it true. February 6, 1943. No. 37. C.4; US Interest in Soviet Culture // Pravda. May 31, 1943. No. 138. C.4
21. Military production in the USA // Pravda. January 18, 1942. No. 18. C.4; The pace of arms production in the United States // Pravda. January 26, 1942. No. 26. C.4; Arms production in the USA // Pravda. January 16, 1943. No. 16. C.4; Launching a new American aircraft carrier // Pravda. January 25, 1943. No. 25. C.4; Construction of cargo ships in the USA // Pravda. March 8, 1943. No. 66. C.4; The growth of the sea power of England and the USA // Pravda. May 13, 1943. No. 122. C.4; The growth of the US armed forces // Pravda. June 16, 1943. No. 151. C.4; Appropriations for the army and navy in the USA // Pravda. June 20, 1943. No. 155. C.4; Construction of cargo flying boats in the USA // Pravda. January 7, 1944. No. 6. C.4; US military spending // Pravda. January 15, 1944. No. 13. C.4; Construction of new powerful warships in the USA // Pravda. January 27, 1944. No. 23. C.4; Successes of the American aircraft industry // Pravda. February 18, 1944. No. 42. C.4; Arms production in the USA in January // Pravda. February 27, 1944. No. 50. C.4; Military production in the USA in February // Pravda. March 31, 1944. No. 78. C.4; Landing craft construction in the USA // Pravda. April 2, 1944. No. 80. C.4; Appropriations for US naval needs // Pravda. April 14, 1944. No. 90. C.4; The US economy in the first half of 1944 // Is it true. August 9, 1944. No. 190. C.4; Arms production in the USA // Pravda. January 5, 1945. No. 4. C.4; Expanding the US Naval Construction Program // Pravda. March 10, 1945. No. 59. C.4; Production of new heavy-duty bombers in the USA // Pravda. March 21, 1945. No. 68. C.4
22. Arms production in the USA in 1943 // Pravda. January 5, 1944. No. 4. C.4
23. Arms production in the USA // Pravda. January 30, 1944. No. 26. C.4
24. US Navy // True. January 4, 1945. No. 3. C.4
25. On the supply of weapons to the Soviet Union, strategic raw materials, industrial equipment and food by the United States of America, Great Britain and Canada // Pravda. June 11, 1944. No. 140. C.1; On the supply of weapons, strategic raw materials, industrial equipment and food to the Soviet Union by the United States of America, Great Britain and Canada // Izvestia. June 11, 1944. No. 138. C.1
26. On the supply of weapons to the Soviet Union, strategic raw materials, industrial equipment and food by the United States of America, Great Britain and Canada // Stalin's Banner. June 13, 1944. No. 116. C.1-2
27. Stalinist Banner. October 29, 1941. No. 255. C.2
28. Decade of establishing diplomatic relations between the USA and the USSR // Pravda. November 17, 1943. No. 283. C.1
29. Prospects for US-Soviet trade // Pravda. February 13, 1944. No. 38. C.4; American-Soviet friendship rally // Pravda. January 28, 1945. No. 24. C.4
30. The growth of American-Soviet cultural ties // Pravda. October 22, 1944. No. 254. C.4
31. American newspaper about the successes of Soviet military medicine // Pravda. February 19, 1944. No. 43. C.4
32. Celebration in the USA of the 25th anniversary of the Red Army // Pravda. February 25, 1943. No. 56. C.4; Preparations in the USA for the Day of the Red Army // Pravda. February 20, 1944. No. 44. C.4; Meeting in New York in honor of the Red Army // Pravda. February 24, 1944. No. 46. C.4; Celebration in the USA of the 27th anniversary of the Red Army // Pravda. February 24, 1945. No. 47. C.4; Meeting in the USA in honor of International Women's Day // International Review // Pravda. July 8, 1945. No. 162. C.4
33. See Youth Technique. No. 9.1943. pp.15-25
34. Strike in the USA // Pravda. July 28, 1945. No. 232. C.4; The strike movement in the USA // Pravda. November 1, 1945. No. 261. C.4; The strike movement in the USA // Pravda. November 5, 1945. No. 265. C.4; The strike movement in the USA // Stalin's Banner. October 17, 1945. No. 206.C.2; The struggle of American trade unions for higher wages // Stalin's Banner. October 17, 1945. No. 206. C.2
35. A. Georgiev. About Walter Lippman's book "US Military Targets" // Pravda. March 16, 1945. No. 64. C.4
36. About the book by Walter Lippman "US Military Targets" // Pravda. April 20, 1945. No. 94. C.4
37. International Review // Pravda. July 8, 1945. No. 162. C.4; Competition of slanderers // Pravda. July 16, 1945. No. 169. C.4; International Review // Pravda. September 30, 1945. No. 234. C.4
38. International Review // Pravda. September 9, 1945. No. 216. C.4
39. Hysteria of Mrs. Claire Luce // Truth. July 14, 1945. No. 167. C.4; Welles' article on German policy // Pravda. July 25, 1945. No. 178. C.4
40. The press of Latin America about the combat successes of the Soviet troops // Pravda. January 20, 1943. No. 20. C.4; Australian newspaper about the successes of the Soviet troops // Pravda. January 21, 1943. No. 21. C.4; Iranian press about the victory of the Red Army near Stalingrad // Pravda. February 8, 1943. No. 39. C.4; Syrian press about the offensive of the Red Army // Pravda. February 16, 1943. No. 47. C.4; Responses abroad to Comrade Stalin's May Day order // Pravda. May 5, 1943. No. 115. C.4; Canadian press about the decision of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR // Pravda. February 4, 1944. No. 30. C.4; Comments of the newspaper "France" to the decisions of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR // Pravda. February 5, 1944. No. 31. C.4; Swiss newspaper about the victories of the Red Army // Pravda. February 23, 1944. No. 46. C.4; "Times" about the successes of the Red Army // Pravda. February 28, 1944. No. 51. C.4; Mexican press about the successes of the Red Army // Pravda. March 11, 1944. No. 61. C.4; Responses abroad to the decisions of the Crimean Conference of the Leaders of the Three Allied Powers // Pravda. February 15, 1945. No. 39. C.3
41. English military observer about the great successes of the Red Army // Izvestia. July 26, 1941. No. 175. C.4; Foreign press notes the valor and military art of the Red Army // Izvestiya. July 27, 1941. No. 176. C.4; Foreign press about the combat operations of the Red Army // Pravda. January 7, 1942. No. 7. C.4; Foreign press about the combat operations of the Red Army // Pravda. January 9, 1942. No. 9. C.4; The successful offensive of the Red Army in the assessment of the foreign press // Pravda. January 19, 1942. No. 19. C.4; Yugoslav newspaper about the 27th anniversary of the Red Army // Stalin's Banner. February 24, 1945. No. 38. C.2
42. Foreign press about the new victories of the Red Army // Pravda. January 5, 1942. No. 5. C.4
43. Foreign press about our successes at the front // Pravda. January 16, 1942. No. 16. C.4
44. News. July 6, 1941. No. 158. C.1; News. August 26, 1941. No. 201. C.1
45. Canadian press about the successes of the Red Army // Pravda. January 6, 1942. No. 6. C.4
46. Lomovtsev A.I. The media and their impact on the mass consciousness during the Second World War: Diss ... cand. ist. Sciences. Penza. 2002.p.130
47. True. February 7, 1943. No. 38. C.4; Responses abroad to the report of the Chairman of the State Defense Committee Comrade I.V. Stalin // Pravda. November 8, 1944. No. 269. C.4
48. Articles about Comrade Stalin in a Mexican magazine // Pravda. March 25, 1944. No. 73. C.4
49. True. January 14, 1945. No. 115. C.3
50. Responses of the foreign press and radio to the May Day order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Marshal of the Soviet Union Comrade I.V. Stalin // Pravda. May 5, 1944. No. 108. C.4
51. Vergasov F. Russia and the West. Formation of foreign policy stereotypes in the minds of Russian society in the first half of the twentieth century / / Chapter IV. The image of the West in the context of world wars. www.pseudology.org
52. Blank A., Khavkin B. The second life of Field Marshal Paulus. M.1990.S.173
53. Clark A. Barbarossa. The Russian-German Conflict 1941-1945. London, 1965. P.225.
54. Khazanov D.B. Stalingrad: August 23, 1942 // Military History Journal. 2009. No. 12. P.14.
55. Stalinist Banner. August 25, 1942. No. 200. C.2.
56. Ibid. August 26, 1942. No. 201. C.2.
To be continued ...
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