Bontsevich N.
the candidate of historical sciences, associate
professor
(Russia,
Saratov)
THE
REPRESENTATION OF YALTA
CONFERENCE ON THE PAGES OF HENRY LUCE'S PRESS.
Yalta
Conference, 1945: actual issues of history, law studies, political science,
culture studies and philosophy /
materials of the international scientific conference Yalta-45/13 (Simferopol, Ukraine
23-27
April, 2013 ) / edited by Oleg K. Shevchenko . – Simferopol: publishing house К.О.Ш.,
2013. – P. 136-138/
The
present paper contains an analysis of the content of the Henry Luce’s press
relating the Yalta
conference. Exploring the most important information channel responsible for
making people and events images give us the key for understanding principle
things about public opinion making in the American society. Henry Luce – the
chief of the most influential media imperia «Time Inc.» has never been the
sympathizer of the soviet regime but since the beginning of the World War II
felt obliged not to depict the USSR
and soviet people through the prism of deep seated stereotypes. On the contrary
his contribution to the common cause of running to supportive mood toward
Soviet Ally in the American society was great. It is important to emphasis that
Luce’s press readership numbered more than 40 millions, which is quarter of the
whole population. But nearer the final stage of Nazi fighting harder it has
been for Luce to hold in check his true feelings toward the USSR.
Leading
American periodicals of various political orientations estimated the Allies
meeting at Yalta
and its aftermath for world community highly positively as a whole. Especially
it can be referred to liberal American press. Walter Lippmann said, «There has
been no more impressive international conference in our time». As for the
«Life» it mainly expressed its affiliation with the positive summing up.
Of
course, Luce chose rather smooth the most questionable and tense situations
than reveal his real attitude to the event he analyzed. First of all, he made
an attempt to present «Moscow’s puppet Lublin government as the
nucleus of a new provisional government broadened to include exiled and
underground Poles». Apparently the principle view the «Life» editors intended
to imbed into mass consciousness was that future polish election would be free
and unfettered.
The
second problem to which Luce and his team wanted to attract public’s attention
was problem of territories which the USSR
claimed to obtain in Europe. According to the
treaties the Allies uphold the soviet pretension to the area east of the Curzon
Line. In practice the border got back to the status as for the time of Poland partition between the USSR and Germany in 1939 in accordance with the
Soviet-German Treaty of friendship and borders. But the Big Three favored
compensating Poland with
undefined slice of Germany
on the West. In other words, Life’s Editorial tried to stress that there were
not even hint on unilateral soviet behavior in Eastern
Europe. And even if to suppose that «…Russia
may have her own plans for Europe, especially
on her borders, she would rather promote them within the Big Three framework
than through long-wolf imperialism». That’s exactly why gaining a compromise in
Polish subject would mean extremely important «test of how well the Big Three
can combine their policies in practice».
Finally
summarizing of Big Three meeting at Yalta and
reflecting position of Washington political
elites of moderate views Luce and his team concluded that Yalta brought more challenges than certainty.
That is why the principal achievement of the meeting, following Life, was firm
claim of the USA
for participation in European affairs after longstanding isolation period. The
President Roosevelt’s message before Congress after returning from Yalta was the vivid confirmation
of Life’s anticipations: «We shall have to take the responsibility for world
collaboration or we shall have to bear the responsibility for another world
conflict».
Therefore
presenting the Yalta
meeting of the Big Three to the American public Henry Luce took a moderate
stand in its results and prospects of the superpowers postwar cooperation
evaluation. The tone of his periodicals was distinct in less enthusiasm in
comparison with the liberal press, but at the same time Luce couldn’t tell
freely about his worries concerning prospects of the superpowers postwar
cooperation due to political moment.
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