The Long Telegram and The Novikov Telegram

Truman and Stalin were worried about the breakdown of the Grand Alliance and the threat of war. Both countries wanted secret reports from their embassies to understand how their opponents were thinking.

The Long Telegram

• Stalin had given a speech calling for the destruction of Capitalism
• There could be no peace with the USSR while it was opposed to Capitalism
• The USSR was building up its military power

The Novikov Telegram

• America desired to dominate the world.
• Following FDR's death, the American government was no longer interested in co-operation with the USSR. 
• The American public were being prepared for war with the USSR.

Following both telegrams, both countries believed that there was a great possibility of war. The USSR believed that war was inevitable whereas the Americans had labelled Stalin as 'the new Hitler'. By the end of 1946, the Grand Alliance was all but over. America believed the USSR were preparing for world domination and vice versa. This was the unofficial start of the Cold War.