Office of the Historian

861.00/7–345: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State

Moscow, July 3, 1945.
[Received July 3—8:58 a.m.]

2387. Stalin’s appointment as Generalissimo of Soviet Union15 was featured in June 28th Moscow newspapers which published tremendous photographs of leader, gave most prominent place to decree of Presidium of USSR Supreme Soviet naming Stalin to highest military post and carried editorials attributing victory in war over Germany to genius of Stalin. Pravda editorial was entitled “Creator of Victory of Soviet People”. It depicted Stalin as greatest military genius in history and stated that his strategy founded on scientific laws of development of society on Marxist-Leninist theory foresaw enemy attack and made and executed plans which assured victory. Among other things editorial stated that Stalin was founder of modern military science.

All papers also published from one-half to full page accounts of meetings in industrial enterprises, military units et cetera characterizing award to Stalin of Order of Victory16 as expression of unanimous will of the people and declaring that gratitude of people to Stalin was boundless. Item from Riga was headed “Latvian people will be eternally grateful to Comrade Stalin” while Kiev despatch was headed “Burning gratitude of Ukrainian people”. Academician Baikov17 contributed piece stating that Soviet learned men had responded to award with feelings of tremendous satisfaction and joy.

[Harriman]
  1. The press had published on June 27 the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union creating the rank of Generalissimo of the Soviet Union. The decree stated that this highest military title was to be conferred for especially outstanding service in the leadership of all the armed forces of the state in time of war.↩
  2. The Embassy in Moscow had reported that decrees had been published on June 27 awarding to Stalin his second Order of Victory, as well as the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.↩
  3. Professor Alexander Alexandrovich Baykov, a metallurgist and chemist in Leningrad.↩