welcome to this rapid revision session looking at the origins of the Cold War this time we'll be looking specifically at the Kenan Long Telegram and the novakov telegram so let's get into it these telegrams were sent against a backdrop of growing distrust both sides wanted to have an idea of the thinking going on beyond their side of the Iron Curtain Truman and Stalin both asked for reports from their respective embassies to learn more about the attitudes in the USA and the USSR the were delivered as two telegrams The Long Telegram written by US ambassador to the USSR George Kenan pictured and the novikov telegram written by USSR ambassador to the USA Nikolai novikov shown at the bottom there we're going to start by having a look at The Long Telegram from Kenan Kenan had a good knowledge of the Soviet Union having lived and worked there in the US Embassy President Truman took his report seriously the telegram was unusually long and detailed leading it to become known as The Long Telegram a telegram by the way is where a message is sent essentially along phone wires they can take some time to decode which is why they're usually very shorten to the point but this one here was very detailed the telegram reported that Stalin wanted to destroy capitalism that Stalin believed that the outside world wanted to destroy communism however the telegram also suggested that the USSR even under Stalin was not self-destructive and it could be convinced to back down the USA adopted a policy of containment trying to prevent the spread of Communism this would become incredibly important as it would have a significant impact on the USA's approach for the next few decades for example in their approach to the Vietnam War so let's have a look at an extract from The Long Telegram this is an edited extract from kenan's Long Telegram it was sent from Moscow to Washington DC on the 22nd of February 1946 we have here a political force committed fanatically to the belief that it is desirable and necessary that our meaning the USA's traditional way of life be destroyed the international authority of our state be broken if Soviet power is to be secure but the problem is within our power to solve without military conflict so here Kenan is saying that the Soviet Union does want to destroy the USA's way of life implying that they want to spread communism around the world but that the USA shouldn't have to go to war with the USSR in order to solve this dispute as far as we know the USSR did not know about kenan's Long Telegram but as the USSR had similar fears to the USA it stands to reason that they would likely send a message that was similar of their own like George Kennan Nikolai novikov had a good knowledge of the USA because he lived in Washington DC as the Soviet ambassador his telegram became public knowledge after the Soviet Union archives were opened in the 1990s it is clear that he had an equally negative view of the USA as Kenan had of the U USSR he stated that the USA wanted to use military power to dominate the world but also that President Truman would not cooperate with the USSR in the way that Roosevelt had before his death the American people would also he believed support a war against the USSR this is if anything an even more extreme set of predictions than were in the Kenan to telegram but like the Kenan Long Telegram the noov telegram had an impact on policy with Soviet governments looking to protect Eastern Europe as much as possible this is an edited extract from the novikov telegram sent from Washington DC to Moscow on the 27th of September 1946 some months after the Kenan Long Telegram US foreign policy has been characterized in the postwar period by a desire for world domination all these steps to preserve the great military potential are not an end in itself of course they are intended only to prepare the conditions to win World Domination in a new war being planned by the most warlike Circles of American imperialism while we recognize that the USA was frightened of attack by the USSR sometimes from a western perspective it's easy to forget that the USSR was itself terrified of an attack by the USA and its allies and this is really laid be by this telegram so let's look at a final summary both the USA and USSR distrusted each each other after World War II George kenan's Long Telegram in February of 1946 focused on Stalin's fears that the USA wanted to destroy communism and his desire to destroy capitalism it led to a policy of containment the novakov telegram September 1946 expressed fears that the USA wanted to militarily dominate the world up to an including war with the USSR something that actually the Kenan Long Telegram said didn't want to happen it led to a policy of securing the ussr's Eastern borders however both show a level of fear and distrust between the superpowers setting the scene for the paranoia of the Cold War that was to come that's the end of this video I hope it's been a useful summary of these important documents for you and if it has please do like the video and subscribe to the channel as there will be more similar content coming very soon if there's anything that you are desperate for me to cover a little bit quicker than that please pop it in the comments below and I'll see if I can prioritize it so how similar are these telegrams with the USA and USSR essentially thinking the same thing if you think that they were again you can comment explaining your thinking that's it for now though thanks very much for watching and goodbye by