I appreciate the effort that went into this! Unfortunately, the blatant Eurocentrism depicts WWII misleadingly and oversimplifies it.
I also spotted a puzzling claim at the bottom for 16 JAN 1941…
USSR offers the join the Axis. Hitler does not Respond [sic]
I am presuming that the author is referring to Nazi–Soviet Relations, 1939–1941 (the U.S. Department of State editing something usually isn’t a good sign, but whatever). It claims,
The Soviet Government was surprised that it had not yet received from Germany any answer to its statement of position of November 25 (cf. telegraphic report № 2562 [2362] of November 25) concerning the issues raised during the Berlin discussions, and he would appreciate it if I would bring that fact to the attention of the Government of the German Reich with the remark that the Soviet Government was counting on an early German reply.
The position of November 25 seems to refer to this draft, which includes:
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE STATES OF THE THREE POWER PACT, GERMANY, ITALY, AND JAPAN, ON THE ONE SIDE, AND THE SOVIET UNION ON THE OTHER SIDE
[…]
ARTICLE I
In the Three Power Pact of Berlin, of September 27, 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan agreed to oppose the extension of the war into a world conflict with all possible means and to collaborate toward an early restoration of world peace. They expressed their willingness to extend their collaboration to nations in other parts of the world which are inclined to direct their efforts along the same course as theirs. The Soviet Union declares that it concurs in these aims of the Three Power Pact and is on its part determined to cooperate politically in this course with the Three Powers.
[…]
Germany, Italy, and Japan declare on their part that they recognize the present extent of the possessions of the Soviet Union and will respect it.
As I noted months ago, this looks more like a mere negotiation rather than a proposal for expanding the alliance to include the Axis’s future Lebensraum, unless I either overlooked something or I’m supposed to just read between the lines. (Note how the wording still others the Soviet Union.) If Moscow was indeed surprised by the silent treatment, if might have been because the silence disturbingly implied an interest in conquest over immediate peace.
Me? I don’t see why it should be surprising. The Axis offered what Moscow couldn’t take, and Moscow asked what the Axis couldn’t give, which makes me think… that somebody wanted the negotiations to fail, almost as if to give somebody more time.
Yeah that one line threw me and throws this entire thing into the trashcan as anti-soviet, fascist American propaganda. Not worth showing people this if its going to include lies like that which propagate the popular post-war fascist equating of communism to fascism and the all too common school history book lie that Stalin wanted to join with Hitler and they had similar aims but Hitler betrayed Stalin instead of the reality.
Thanks for the research and debunking. Unfortunately as mentioned this video is worthless if it includes blatant anti-communist revisionist lies like that.
In fact the text at the bottom is full of American post-war anti-communist slanting and language designed to reinforce historical revisionism.
I wouldn’t say it’s worthless, it still has use as a tool of how anti-communism is rampant throughout all information provided in the west about WW2, and that it almost becomes a shibboleth for westerners talking about the war that they have to ad a “USSR were evil baddies” somewhere in their work, regardless of how irrelevant, out of context, or incorrect their claims are.
I appreciate the effort that went into this! Unfortunately, the blatant Eurocentrism depicts WWII misleadingly and oversimplifies it.
I also spotted a puzzling claim at the bottom for 16 JAN 1941…
I am presuming that the author is referring to Nazi–Soviet Relations, 1939–1941 (the U.S. Department of State editing something usually isn’t a good sign, but whatever). It claims,
The position of November 25 seems to refer to this draft, which includes:
As I noted months ago, this looks more like a mere negotiation rather than a proposal for expanding the alliance to include the Axis’s future Lebensraum, unless I either overlooked something or I’m supposed to just read between the lines. (Note how the wording still others the Soviet Union.) If Moscow was indeed surprised by the silent treatment, if might have been because the silence disturbingly implied an interest in conquest over immediate peace.
Me? I don’t see why it should be surprising. The Axis offered what Moscow couldn’t take, and Moscow asked what the Axis couldn’t give, which makes me think… that somebody wanted the negotiations to fail, almost as if to give somebody more time.
Yeah that one line threw me and throws this entire thing into the trashcan as anti-soviet, fascist American propaganda. Not worth showing people this if its going to include lies like that which propagate the popular post-war fascist equating of communism to fascism and the all too common school history book lie that Stalin wanted to join with Hitler and they had similar aims but Hitler betrayed Stalin instead of the reality.
Thanks for the research and debunking. Unfortunately as mentioned this video is worthless if it includes blatant anti-communist revisionist lies like that.
In fact the text at the bottom is full of American post-war anti-communist slanting and language designed to reinforce historical revisionism.
I wouldn’t say it’s worthless, it still has use as a tool of how anti-communism is rampant throughout all information provided in the west about WW2, and that it almost becomes a shibboleth for westerners talking about the war that they have to ad a “USSR were evil baddies” somewhere in their work, regardless of how irrelevant, out of context, or incorrect their claims are.