Berlin Blockade Document Analysis

1. What type of document is this? What is its purpose?      
These documents are formerly classified memorandums written for President Truman. They are meant to inform him on the Soviets' reaction to events in Berlin and possible Soviet plans.


2. When was it written? Why is that significant?     
 They were written in 1948 just after the Berlin Blockade began. This means all of the plans and actions that are being written about are probably taking place in response to the Blockade and its consequences. 


3. Who created the document? Who received the document?     
 Rear Admiral Hillenkoetter, the Director of Central Intelligence, created the document. President Truman, General Walsh, Mr. Murphy, the Army, and the State Department received the document.


4. Who is Marshal Sokolovsky?     
 Marshal Sokolovsky was a Russian official involved in figuring out the consequences from the Berlin blockade on East Berlin. He discovered that East Berlin was more reliant on the Western zone than they had originally thought. 


5. How did the CIA get information of the meeting between Marshal Sokolovsky and German members of the German industrial committee?      
 The CIA got this information most likely from a spy at the meeting. It was definitely a source they believed they could rely on, as stated in the last sentence in parenthesis. 
  

6. What were the three Soviet alternatives as they presented themselves when this document was written? What policy did the Soviets pursue over the course of the next nine months? Why?     

The three alternatives presented were going to war, ending the blockade, or handing over control of all of Berlin to the West. They ended up choosing none of these options and continued the blockade. All of these alternatives were either too dangerous or would make the Soviets lose too much face. 

7. Stalin stated in a speech on February 9, 1946, "he [Stalin] blamed the last war on 'capitalist monopolies' and warning that, since the same forces still operated, the USSR must treble the basic materials of national defense such as iron and steel, double coal and oil production, and to delay the manufacture of consumer goods until rearmament was complete." Who are the "capitalist monopolies?" How does this statement enlighten the Soviet viewpoint against the United States? Were the Allies justified in cancelling the shipments of German reparations to the Soviets at the end of World War II? Why did the Soviets rely so heavily on Germany for food and industry?        

The "capitalist monopolies" were the allies who created the Treaty of Versailles. This statement shows that the Soviets didn't agree with anything the United States was doing and that they wanted to be ready for any possible attacks from the West. I think the allies were justified. Clearly the Soviet Union was planning on arming themselves for a possible war. The Soviets relied on Germany for food and industry because the West was supplying West Germany and they, without knowing it, received many supplies and industry in East Berlin from West Berlin.

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift

1. What is Source 37 (p. 75) saying about Josip Tito, leader of Yugoslavia?     
Source 37 is saying that Tito is a traitor, hence the "Judas" on his blanket, by taking money from the Marshall plan. The Soviet Union wanted to portray him as an enemy and a weakling, which they did by having him on his knee appearing to be a beggar. This cartoon was likely made around the time that Yugoslavia was expelled from Cominform.


2. Why do you think Stalin was so hostile to Tito?        
Stalin believed that Tito set a bad example for the other Communist states. He believed that America was trying to make Eastern European countires dependent on them so they could enter into his Communist controlled area. With Tito being the only Communist leader who did take Marshall Aid, Stalin believed he was making the USSR seem weak to the west and to other nations in Cominform. He had to show everyone that they still had power.


3. Look back at the map in Source 27 on page 71. How does the geographical position of Yugoslavia help to explain why Stalin did not take any direct action (such as sending in troops) against Tito?     
Yugoslavia is just east of the Iron Curtain. This means if Stalin had sent troops, it would have been an easy target for the Allies to defend, as it is also reasonably close to West Germany. Stalin had no way of knowing if Truman had some of his fancy new Atomic bombs in West Germany either, so he didn't take that risk.

4. Read Source 40 (p. 77). What reasons did the Soviet Union give for cutting off West Berlin?       
The Soviet Union claimed there were technical difficulties that made it impossible for the trucks of supplies to get through. They also claimed they had coal shortages to explain why they had cut off some electricity to parts of Western Germany. 


5. Why do you think the USA did not believe these were genuine reasons?           
It seems unlikely that all of these difficulties would just happen to occur when there were very high tensions between the two nations. Stalin was feeling less powerful due to the Marshall Aid money going to Yugoslavia. Getting rid of all supplies and electricity into West Berlin was a perfect chance to get back at the U.S., and the U.S. knew it.


6. How do Sources 41–43 differ in their interpretation of the blockade?            
Source 41 claimed that neither side gained anything but a prolonged conflict due to the blockade and subsequent airlift. Source 42, on the other hand, as it was a speech by Truman, made the air lift seem like a fight for freedom that America was unquestionable winning. Source 43 says that the USSR never even blockaded Berlin in the first place, and that it was all a scheme by America to make the Soviet Union look bad. 


7.  Which do you think is the most useful source for a historian studying the Berlin Blockade?       
Source 40 is the most useful. It shows a genuine government document that contains pure facts. The facts are that the Soviet Union was not letting supplies into Berlin supposedly because of technical difficulties and shortages. These facts are left up to interpretation by the historian. 



8.  Which source do you think gives the most reliable view of the blockade?      
Source 41 gives the most reliable view of the blockade. It was made by a historian looking in hindsight rather than an official on either side of the government writing during the blockade, when they constantly have to think about the reaction of the Soviet Union. This way the historian can weigh the benefits and detriments of the blockade without worrying about anyone's reaction.