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{{Short description|Secret speech allegedly given by Joseph Stalin}}
This article discussed a speech alleged to have been given in secret by ] to ] leaders, two weeks prior to the ] and the start of ].
{{Expand Russian|date=January 2021}}
A secret speech was allegedly given by ], on 19 August 1939, to members of the ], wherein he justified the ] to promote ], which would be beneficial for ]. The strategy included ] and the suggestion of what has become the ].


The historicity of the speech is still the subject of academic debate. Plausible textual copies of this speech found in various reputable archives have been academically studied and published, however no formal first-hand evidence of a ] meeting held on ], ] or the delivery of the quoted speech has yet been proven. Speeches given in secret were common at the time, the Politburo being a closed and secretive body. There are also reputable views that these copies were intended originally as ] and ]. Accordingly until consensus is reached by ]s, the discussion of the documents supporting such a thesis are described in this article as an "alleged" speech. The ] of the speech is still the subject of academic debate. Plausible textual evidence of this speech found in various reputable archives has been academically studied and published, however no formal first-hand evidence of a ] ''meeting'' held on 19 August 1939 or the delivery of the quoted speech has yet been proven.

In these reports, Stalin is represented as talking about his strategic view of the growing conflict in Europe, and his view that it would be benficial for the Soviet agenda, insofar as it would weaken the West, allowing possible territorial expansion. It has been speculated {{cite needed}} that if this was Stalin's view, the same strategic approach may have led to the ] pact of non-aggression between ] and the Soviet Union.

==Historical background==
{{sectstub}}

== Summary of documents ==
In the source material available to historians, Stalin is represented as expressing an expectation that the war would be the best opportunity to weaken both the Western nations and ], and make Germany suitable for "]". There is also expecttation of eventual territorial expansion to the ], ] and ], with the approval of either the Western powers or Germany.

Historians who have studied these documents have suggested that if such a speech took place, which is usually considered plausible but not proven (see below), then this view may have formed the basis for the Nazi-Soviet pact of non-aggression signed in ], known as the ], which was also signed days later around 23 - 24 August 1939.


== Source material and timeline == == Source material and timeline ==
The first version of this speech was published on ], ], in the ] journal ''Revue de Droit International.'' Since then several versions, varying in content, have been in circulation. The first version of this speech was published partially on 28 November 1939, in the ] newspaper ''Le Temps'' by the ] '']'' despatch from ].<ref name="Carley">Review: Soviet Foreign Policy in the West, 1936–1941: A Review Article Author(s): Michael Jabara Carley Reviewed work(s): Stalin and the Inevitable War, 1936–1941 by Silvio Pons Stalin's Other War: Soviet Grand Strategy, 1939–1941 by Albert L. Weeks Source: Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 56, No. 7 (Nov. 2004), pp. 1081–1093)</ref> Since then several versions, varying in content, have been in circulation.


In 1994, the Russian publicist Tatiana Bushuyeva ({{langx|ru|Татьяна Семеновна Бушуева}}) published the text of the speech in an article printed in the '']'' magazine<ref name= bushu>Бушуева Т. "...проклиная - попробуйте понять...", Новый мир, 1994, no. 12, pp. 230-237. (, retrieved August 5, 2023)</ref> based on what she claimed was recent findings in the Special Archive of the USSR of a text,<ref name=f1223>The archive files location: Centre for the Preservation of Collections of Historical Documents, formerly Special Archive of the USSR; fund 7, list 1, file 1223, in Russian: Центр хранения историко-документальных коллекций, бывший Особый архив СССР, ф. 7, оп. 1, д. 1223</ref> which according to her was supposedly recorded by a ] member present at the meeting (and she published the Russian translation thereof).<ref name= bushu/> Sergey Sluch questions its authenticity remarking that the document was in French and stored in the "Trophies Funds" of the Archive, and that the text mostly matches the one from Havas, but Bushueva skipped some dubious passages.<ref name=Sluch/>
In ] of ], ], the day of the outbreak of the ], Stalin was asked for his opinion on the report of "the speech" allegedly made "by Stalin to the Politburo on August 19", in which he is said to have expressed the thought that the war should go on as long as possible, so that the belligerents are exhausted." Stalin stated this was an incorrect assertion, and was quoted by Pravda as saying :
# that it cannot be denied that it was ] and ] that attacked Germany and consequently they are responsible for the present war;
# that Germany made peace proposals to France and England, proposals supported by the Soviet Union on the grounds that a quick end to the war would ease the situation of all countries and peoples;
# that the ruling circles of England and France rudely rejected Germany's peace proposals.

In 1994, Russian publicist T. S. Bushuyeva published an archival reference of the speech in an article printed in the '']'' magazine (#12, 1994), based on what she claimed was recent findings in Soviet Special Archives of a text that according to her was supposedly recorded by a ] member present at the meeting. (The archive files location: Centre for the Preservation of Collections of Historical Documents, former Soviet Special Archives; fund 7, list 1, file 12239, in Russian: Центр хранения историко-документальных коллекций, бывший Особый архив СССР, ф. 7, оп. 1, д. 1223).

The actual original text is not available yet. Bushuyeva also printed a Russian translation of a version available in ]. This caused another surge of speculations on the issue. Bushuyeva omitted to mention that the referred archival record was from stock related to the documents of General Staff of the ].


== Historicity and debate == == Historicity and debate ==
Whether this speech was ever given by Stalin is still the subject of dispute by historians and no proof is as yet unanimously accepted. According to ]'s book '']'', Soviet historians laid special emphasis on proving that no ] meeting took place on ], ]. Nevertheless, Suvorov states in his book that Russian military historian ] has found evidence that a meeting really took place on that day. Whether this speech was ever given by Stalin is still the subject of dispute by historians. According to ]'s book '']'', ] laid special emphasis on claiming that no ] meeting took place on 19 August 1939, but the Russian military historian ] has found the evidence that a meeting really took place on that day. However the only military issue in the agenda of the meeting, according to Volkogonov, was the deferment from ] of the construction workers of the ]&ndash;] railway.<ref>{{Cite news|date=15 January 1993|author=Dmitri Volkogonov|title=Эту версию уже опровергла история|pages=9|publisher=]}} ( at ]); criticism of ]'s book ''Icebreaker''</ref>


The speech took place according to research book '']'' by the military historian ], which covers the alleged offensive plans by Stalin. However, the third edition of the book, in 2008, omits any mention of 1939 speech.
Historical documents demonstrating the non-existence of the speech are also met with scepticism, in view of a similar vigorous denial of the Secret Protocol to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. ] (an amateur historian known for his ]) has pointed out some counter-theses to Sluch' disapproval of the existence of such speech.


Historian {{ill|Sergey Sluch|ru|Случ, Сергей Зиновьевич}} of the ] also reviewed the history of the subject.<ref name= Sluch>, ''Отечественная история'' (now '']''), no. 1, 2004 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070128034757/http://vivovoco.rsl.ru/VV/JOURNAL/RUHIST/STANET1.HTM |date=2007-01-28}}</ref><ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071125205042/http://gkaf.narod.ru/kirillov/ref-liter/slutch-00.html |date=2007-11-25 }}</ref>
An article in the ''Otechestvennaya Istoriya'' (History of the Fatherland), Отечественная история, 2004, № 1) by Sergey Sluch (С.З. Случ) critically reviews the history of the "Stalin's Speech", its textologial analysis, and possible reasons and sources of the possible forgery.


== References == == References ==
{{reflist|2}}
<references/>
*Revue de Droit International, de Sciences Diplomatiques et Politiques (The International Law Review), 1939, Nr. 3, Juillet-Septembre. P. 247-249.
*''Otechestvennaya Istoriya'' Отечественная история, 2004, № 1, pp. 113-139.
*A.L.Weeks ''Stalin's Other War: Soviet Grand Strategy, 1939-1941'' ISBN 0-7425-2191-5


== See also== == External links ==
⚫ *, pieced together by ], ]
* ], a controversial historian who used the speech as an evidence for his thesis in works such as ]
*{{in lang|fr}} , Revue de Droit International, de Sciences Diplomatiques et Politiques (The International Law Review), 1939, Nr. 3, Juillet-Septembre. P. 247–248. (alleged text of Stalin's speech by Havas, with English translation by Nordling)
*“]”, a research work by military historian ], covering Stalin's alleged offensive plans
⚫ *{{in lang|ru}}
⚫ *{{in lang|ru}}
*{{in lang|ru}}


{{Joseph Stalin}}
==External links==
{{Authority control}}

⚫ *, pieced together by ], ]
*'' by Carl O. Nordling
⚫ *{{ru icon}}
⚫ *{{ru icon}}
*{{ru icon}}


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Latest revision as of 23:45, 24 October 2024

Secret speech allegedly given by Joseph Stalin
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A secret speech was allegedly given by Joseph Stalin, on 19 August 1939, to members of the Politburo, wherein he justified the Soviet strategy to promote military conflict in Europe, which would be beneficial for the future territorial expansion of the Communist system. The strategy included Soviet-Nazi collaboration and the suggestion of what has become the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.

The historicity of the speech is still the subject of academic debate. Plausible textual evidence of this speech found in various reputable archives has been academically studied and published, however no formal first-hand evidence of a Politburo meeting held on 19 August 1939 or the delivery of the quoted speech has yet been proven.

Source material and timeline

The first version of this speech was published partially on 28 November 1939, in the Paris newspaper Le Temps by the news agency Havas despatch from Geneva. Since then several versions, varying in content, have been in circulation.

In 1994, the Russian publicist Tatiana Bushuyeva (Russian: Татьяна Семеновна Бушуева) published the text of the speech in an article printed in the Novy Mir magazine based on what she claimed was recent findings in the Special Archive of the USSR of a text, which according to her was supposedly recorded by a Comintern member present at the meeting (and she published the Russian translation thereof). Sergey Sluch questions its authenticity remarking that the document was in French and stored in the "Trophies Funds" of the Archive, and that the text mostly matches the one from Havas, but Bushueva skipped some dubious passages.

Historicity and debate

Whether this speech was ever given by Stalin is still the subject of dispute by historians. According to Viktor Suvorov's book Icebreaker, Soviet historians laid special emphasis on claiming that no Politburo meeting took place on 19 August 1939, but the Russian military historian Dmitri Volkogonov has found the evidence that a meeting really took place on that day. However the only military issue in the agenda of the meeting, according to Volkogonov, was the deferment from conscription of the construction workers of the Akmolinsk–Kartaly railway.

The speech took place according to research book Stalin's Missed Chance by the military historian Mikhail Meltyukhov, which covers the alleged offensive plans by Stalin. However, the third edition of the book, in 2008, omits any mention of 1939 speech.

Historian Sergey Sluch [ru] of the Russian Academy of Sciences also reviewed the history of the subject.

References

  1. Review: Soviet Foreign Policy in the West, 1936–1941: A Review Article Author(s): Michael Jabara Carley Reviewed work(s): Stalin and the Inevitable War, 1936–1941 by Silvio Pons Stalin's Other War: Soviet Grand Strategy, 1939–1941 by Albert L. Weeks Source: Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 56, No. 7 (Nov. 2004), pp. 1081–1093)
  2. ^ Бушуева Т. "...проклиная - попробуйте понять...", Новый мир, 1994, no. 12, pp. 230-237. (text online, retrieved August 5, 2023)
  3. The archive files location: Centre for the Preservation of Collections of Historical Documents, formerly Special Archive of the USSR; fund 7, list 1, file 1223, in Russian: Центр хранения историко-документальных коллекций, бывший Особый архив СССР, ф. 7, оп. 1, д. 1223
  4. ^ С.З.Случ, "РЕЧЬ СТАЛИНА, КОТОРОЙ НЕ БЫЛО", Отечественная история (now Russian History), no. 1, 2004 Archived 2007-01-28 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Dmitri Volkogonov (15 January 1993). "Эту версию уже опровергла история". Izvestia. p. 9. (newspaper image at Yeltsin Center); criticism of Viktor Suvorov's book Icebreaker
  6. Случ С.З. Советско-германские отношения в сентябре-декабре 1939 года и вопрос о вступлении СССР во Вторую мировую войну Archived 2007-11-25 at the Wayback Machine

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