The US press coverage of Siberia’s territory and its development in the 1920s-1960s

This article explores an evolution of perception of Siberia and its territory from the 1920s to the 1960s in the US press. The main thesis of the article is that American journalists and travelers made in a quite short span of time a remarkable change of their views on Siberia. In spite of the fact that a huge potential of Siberia was realized as early as the 1920s, the dark image of region as a cold prison area prevailed in the 1920s-1930s. The common allied interests during the Second World War changed a view on Siberia. The Americans together with the USSR expected to develop this vast region after the war as a part of the Pacific area. When Cold war started the American newspapers treated Siberia as a new important military region developing by Moscow to prevent the threats from the USA in the Pacific region. After the death of Stalin, Soviet government removed some travel restrictions imposed on foreign diplomats and correspondents and a few of them caught an opportunity to go to Siberia. Harrison Salisbury was one of the first reporters who traveled to postwar Siberia and saw there both dark part of unequal development and the light part of progress in Siberia. He was impressed by Siberian school education, but noticed that municipal facilities were in shortage everywhere. Another correspondent of “New York Times” Max Frankel described Siberia as a land of extremes as well as a place where foreign correspondent can ask questions and receive candid answers. Frankel had a talk with various people in Siberia: aeroplane mechanic, a school teacher in Yakutia, university staff, geologist, etc. From 1960 onwards, Siberia attracted much more attention in American press than previous decades. Discovering of diamonds in Yakutia, then oil and gas in Siberia changed the role of Siberia once again. American newspapers began to write about the USSR as a big oil and gas superpower, which was eager to claim a lion’s share of global world market. Western Siberia and especially Tyumen region had grown from unknown spot to prominent economic area. Novosibirsk was transformed from remote and modest Siberian town into new principal science city in Siberia. Many cities experienced extensive industrial expansion and growth, but not all of them were accessible for foreign visitors. In all, from a hostile and suspicious view on new strategic role of Siberia in the 1940s and 1950s it turned into quite sympathetic and affectionate vision of the Soviet Siberia as a progressive area in the late 1950s and the 1960s.

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