The Cold War through Documents

Part I: The Origins of the Cold War, 1945-1950
1 The Yalta Conference, February 1945
A. Declaration on Poland
B. Agreement Regarding Soviet Entry into the War against Japan
2 The Potsdam Conference, July-August 1945
Excerpts from the Berlin (Potsdam) Conference Report,
2 August 1945
3 The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, August 1945
Statement by President Truman, 6 August 1945
4 Ho Chi Minh's Declaration of Independence for Vietnam,
2 September 1945
Excerpts from Ho Chi Minh's Speech Declaring Independence
for Vietnam, 2 September 1945
5 Stalin's Election Speech, February 1946
Highlights of Stalin's Election Speech, 9 February 1946
6 Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech, March 1946
A. Highlights of Churchill's "Iron Curtain" Speech, 5 March 1946
B. Excerpts from Pravda's Interview with Stalin, March 1946
7 The Baruch and Gromyko Plans for Control of Atomic
Weapons, 1946
A. Speech by Bernard Baruch to the UN Atomic Energy
Commission, 14 June 1946
B. Draft International Agreement to Forbid the Production and
Use of Atomic Weapons, Proposed by Andrei Gromyko on
19 June 1946
8 The Truman Doctrine, 1947
President Truman's Speech to the Nation, 12 March 1947
9 The Marshall Plan, 1947
Marshall's Commencement Address at Harvard University,
5 June 1947
10 George F. Kennan, "The Sources of Soviet Conduct," 1947
The Sources of Soviet Conduct
11 The Rio Treaty, 1947
The Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance
(Rio Treaty), 2 September 1947
12 Zhdanov and the Cominform on the Imperialist and Anti-
Imperialist Camps, 1947
A. Zhdanov's Report on the International Situation,
22 September 1947
B. Manifesto Proclaiming the Cominform, 5 October 1947
C. Resolution of the Conference of Communist Parties on
Establishing the Cominform, 5 October 1947
13 The Communist Coup in Czechoslovakia, February 1948
A. Letter from President Benes to the Czechoslovak
Communist Party Presidium, 24 February 1948
B. Reply by the Czechoslovak Communist Party Presidium to
the Letter of President Benes, 25 February 1948
14 The Treaty of Brussels, 1948
Excerpts from the Treaty of Brussels, 17 March 1948
15 The Expulsion of Tito from the Communist Bloc, 1948
Cominform Resolution on the Situation in Yugoslavia,
28 June 1948
16 The Berlin Blockade, 1948-1949
Note from Secretary of State Marshall to the Soviet Ambassador,
6 July 1948
17 The NATO Alliance, 1949
The Treaty of Washington (North Atlantic Treaty), 4 April 1949
18 Acheson on the Communist Triumph in China, 1949
Secretary of State Acheson's Letter of Transmittal for US
State Department "White Paper" on China, 30 July 1949
19 Mao Proclaims the People's Republic of China, 1 October 1949
Mao's Statement Proclaiming the People's Republic of China,
1 October 1949
20 The Soviet-Chinese Friendship Treaty, February 1950
A. Communique Announcing the Soviet-Chinese Treaty,
14 February 1950
B. Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Aid between
the USSR and the Chinese People's Republic
Part II: The Global Confrontation, 1950-1960
21 McCarthy on "Communists" in the US Government, 1950
Excerpts from a Speech by Senator McCarthy to the US
Senate, 20 February 1950
22 Acheson on the American Defense Perimeter in Asia, 1950
Excerpts from Acheson's Speech to the National Press Club,
12 January 1950
23 NSC-68: American Cold War Strategy, 1950
Excerpts from NSC-68 (Report to the President, 7 April 1950)
24 The Korean War, 1950-1953
A. Statement by President Truman, 27 June 1950
B. Resolution of the United Nations Security Council,
27 June 1950
C. Telegram from Mao Zedong to Joseph Stalin on Sending
Chinese Troops into Korea, 2 October 1950
D. Telegram from Mao to Zhou Enlai in Moscow on Sending
Chinese Troops into Korea, 13 October 1950
E. Excerpts from the Panmunjom Armistice Agreement,
27 July 1953
25 Dulles on "Massive Retaliation," 1954
Highlights of Dulles's Speech to the Council on Foreign
Relations, 12 January 1954
26 The Geneva Accords Regarding Indochina, 1954
Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference, 21 July 1954
27 The SEATO Alliance, 1954
Highlights of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty,
8 September 1954
28 The Bandung Asian-African Conference, 1955
A. Excerpts from Speech by Indonesian President Sukarno
at the Opening of the Asian-African Conference in Bandung,
18 April 1955
B. Excerpts from Speech by India's Prime Minister Nehru to
the Bandung Conference Political Committee, April 1955
C. Principles of the Bandung Conference's "Declaration on the
Promotion of World Peace and Cooperation," 24 April 1955
29 The Warsaw Pact, 1955
The Warsaw Security Pact, 14 May 1955
30 Khrushchev on Peaceful Coexistence, 1956
Excerpts from Khrushchev's Report to the Twentieth Party
Congress, 14 February 1956
31 Khrushchev's Secret Speech on Stalin and His Crimes, 1956
Highlights of Khrushchev's Secret Speech to the Twentieth
Party Congress, 25 February 1956
32 The Hungarian Rebellion, 1956
A. Excerpts from Soviet Government Statement,
30 October 1956
B. Hungarian Appeals for Help, 4 November 1956
C. Excerpts from the Proclamation of a New Hungarian
Government, 4 November 1956
33 The Suez Crisis, 1956
A. Withdrawal of US Support for the Aswan Dam Project,
19 July 1956
B. President Nasser's Speech Nationalizing the Suez Canal
Company, 26 July 1956
C. Excerpts from President Eisenhower's Address,
31 October 1956
34 The Eisenhower Doctrine, 1957
A. Excerpts from Eisenhower's Message to Congress on the
Middle East, 5 January 1957
B. Joint Congressional Resolution to Promote Peace and
Stability in the Middle East, Approved by the President
on 9 March 1957
35 Europe's Common Market: The Treaty of Rome, 1957
Excerpts from the Treaty of Rome, 25 March 1957
36 China's "Great Leap Forward," 1958-1960
A. Liu Shaoqi on the Progress and Goals of the "Great Leap
Forward," 1958
B. Excerpts from "Hold High the Red Flag of People's
Communes," 3 September 1958
37 Harold Macmillan's "Wind of Change" Speech, 1960
Excerpts from the Speech of British Prime Minister Harold
Macmillan to the Parliament of the Union of South Africa,
3 February 1960
38 The U-2 Affair and Collapse of the Paris Summit, May 1960
A. Statement by US Department of State, 5 May 1960
B. Statement by US Department of State, 7 May 1960
C. Soviet Note on the U-2 Incident, 10 May 1960
D. Excerpts from Khrushchev's Statement at Paris, 16 May 1960
E. Excerpts from Eisenhower's Broadcast Address, 25 May 1960
39 The Congo Crisis, 1960
A. Telegram from President Kasa-Vubu and Prime Minister
Lumumba to Premier Khrushchev, 14 July 1960
B. Reply of Premier Khrushchev to President Kasa-Vubu and
Prime Minister Lumumba, 15 July 1960
C. Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba's Address to the Chamber
of Deputies of the Congo, 15 July 1960
40 Castro on the Cuban Revolution, 1960
Excerpts from Castro's Address to the UN General Assembly,
26 September 1960
Part III: Crisis and Conflict, 1961-1969
41 Khrushchev on "Wars of National Liberation," January 1961
Excerpts from Address by Soviet Premier Khrushchev to a
Meeting of Communist Party Organizations in Moscow,
6 January 1961
42 Kwame Nkrumah on the Need for African Unity, 1961
Excerpt from Kwame Nkrumah, I Speak of Freedom: A
Statement of African Ideology, 1961
43 Eisenhower's Farewell Address on the Military-Industrial
Complex, 17 January 1961
Excerpts from President Eisenhower's Televised Speech,
17 January 1961
44 Kennedy's Inaugural Address, 1961
Excerpts from Kennedy's Inaugural Address, 20 January 1961
45 The Berlin Crisis, 1961
A. Kennedy's Report to the Nation on Berlin, 25 July 1961
B. US Note Protesting Closure of East Berlin Border,
17 August 1961
C. Soviet Response to the US Protest, 18 August 1961
46 The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962
A. Highlights of Kennedy's Address to the Nation and the
World, 22 October 1962
B. Excerpts from Khrushchev's Message to Kennedy,
26 October 1962
C. Excerpts from Khrushchev's Message to Kennedy,
27 October 1962
D. Excerpt from Kennedy's Response to Khrushchev,
27 October 1962
47 Kennedy's "Peace Speech" at American University, June 1963
Excerpts from Kennedy's Commencement Address at
American University, 10 June 1963
48 Kennedy's Berlin Speech, June 1963: "Ich Bin Ein Berliner"
Excerpts from Kennedy's Speech in Berlin, 26 June 1963
49 The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, August 1963
Excerpts from the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty,
5 August 1963
50 The Sino-Soviet Split, 1960-1964
A. Excerpts from Chinese Publication "Long Live Leninism,"
April 1960
B. Excerpts from Khrushchev's Closing Remarks at the 22nd
Party Congress, 27 October 1961
C. Excerpts from Open Letter of the Central Committee of the
Soviet Communist Party to All Soviet Communists, 14 July 1963
D. Excerpts from "On Khrushchev's Phony Communism and
Its Historical Lessons for the World," 1964
51 The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, 1964
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, 10 August 1964
52 Lin Biao, "Long Live the Victory of People's War," 1965
Excerpts from "Long Live the Victory of People's War,"
3 September 1965
53 Lyndon Johnson and the Vietnam War, 1965-1968
A. Johnson's Speech at Johns Hopkins University, 7 April 1965
B. Johnson's Address to the Nation, 31 March 1968
54 China's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, 1966-1969
A. Decision of the Central Committee of the Chinese
Communist Party Concerning the Great Proletarian
Cultural Revolution, 8 August 1966
B. Excerpts from the "Little Red Book," Quotations from
Chairman Mao Tse-Tung
55 The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, July 1968
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,
1 July 1968
56 The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia, August 1968
A. Statement of Czechoslovak Communist Party Presidium,
21 August 1968
B. Statement of Soviet News Agency (TASS), 21 August 1968
C. Excerpts from Zhou Enlai's Speech at the Romanian Embassy,
23 August 1968
57 The Brezhnev Doctrine, 1968
A. Excerpt from "Sovereignty and the International
Obligations of Socialist Countries," Pravda, 26 September 1968
B. Excerpt from Brezhnev's Remarks to the Polish Party
Congress, 12 November 1968
58 The Soviet-Chinese Border Conflict, 1969
A. Note from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to
the Soviet Embassy in China, 2 March 1969
B. Statement by Soviet Government, 29 March 1969
59 The Nixon Doctrine, 1969
A. Excerpts from Nixon's Remarks at Guam, 25 July 1969
B. Excerpts from Nixon's Address to the Nation,
3 November 1969
Part IV: The Era of Détente, 1969-1979
60 Salvador Allende's Freely Elected Marxist Government in
Chile, 1970-1973
A. Excerpts from Salvador Allende's Inaugural Address,
5 November 1970
B. Address by Salvador Allende to UN General Assembly,
4 December 1972
C. Excerpts from Salvador Allende's Last Words, Broadcast
over Radio Magallanes, 11 September 1973
61 The Berlin Accords, September 1971
Quadripartite Agreement on Berlin, 3 September 1971
62 Nixon's China Visit: The Shanghai Communique,
February 1972
Excerpts from the Communique Issued at Shanghai,
27 February 1972
63 The ABM Treaty and SALT I, 1972
A. Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems,
26 May 1972
B. Interim Agreement on Certain Measures with Respect to
the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (SALT I),
26 May 1972
64 The US Withdrawal from Vietnam, January 1973
A. Nixon's Address to the Nation, 23 January 1973
B. The Paris Peace Accords, 27 January 1973
65 The October War in the Middle East, 1973
A. UN Security Council Resolution 338, Passed on
22 October 1973
B. Israel Accepts the Cease-Fire, 22 October 1973
C. Egypt Accepts the Cease-Fire, 22 October 1973
66 Deng Xiaoping's "Three Worlds" Speech, April 1974 252
Highlights of Speech by Chinese Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping
to the UN General Assembly, 10 April 1974
67 The Vladivostok Summit, 1974
A. Agreement Concluded at Vladivostok, 24 November 1974
B. Excerpt from President Ford's Statement, 2 December 1974
68 The Helsinki Final Act, 1975
Excerpts from Declaration Signed at Helsinki, 1 August 1975
69 The Cambodian Genocide, 1975-1979 263
Genocide in Cambodia: Judgment of the "People's Tribunal,"
19 August 1979
70 Carter on Human Rights, 1977
Carter's Address to the United Nations, 17 March 1977
71 Peace between Egypt and Israel, 1977-1979
A. Excerpt from Sadat's Speech in Israel, 20 November 1977
B. Framework for Peace Agreed to at Camp David,
17 September 1978
C. Treaty between Egypt and Israel, 26 March 1979
72 The Normalization of US-Chinese Relations, 1978-1979
A. Carter's Statement on Opening Ties with China,
15 December 1978
B. Statement by the People's Republic of China
73 The SALT II Agreement, 1979
Treaty on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms
(SALT II), 18 June 1979
Part V: The Renewal of the Cold War, 1979-1985
74 The Creation of an Islamic Republic in Iran, 1979
Excerpts from Khomeini's Letter to Gorbachev, 1989
75 The Euromissile Controversy, 1979
A. Brezhnev's Condemnation of NATO's Plans, 6 October 1979
B. NATO Communique on "Dual Track" Approach,
12 December 1979
76 The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, December 1979
A. Carter's Statement on Iran and Afghanistan,
28 December 1979
B. Carter's Interview Concerning the Soviet Response to His
Protest Note on the Invasion of Afghanistan, 31 December 1979
C. Brezhnev's Explanation of the Soviet Role in Afghanistan,
12 January 1980
77 The Carter Doctrine, January 1980
Excerpt from Carter's State of the Union Address,
23 January 1980
78 Reagan's Anti-Soviet Rhetoric, 1981-1983
A. Excerpt from President Reagan's First Press Conference,
29 January 1981
B. Excerpt from Reagan's "Evil Empire" Speech, 8 March 1983
79 Reagan's Arms Control Proposals, November 1981
Excerpt from Reagan's Address on Arms Reduction,
18 November 1981
80 The Polish Imposition of Martial Law, December 1981
A. General Jaruzelski's Radio Address, 13 December 1981
B. Excerpts from the Decree Imposing Martial Law
81 Andropov's Peace Offensive, 1982
Excerpts from Andropov's Speech on Reductions in Nuclear
Missiles, 21 December 1982
82 Reagan's "Star Wars" Speech, 1983
Excerpts from Reagan's Televised Speech, 23 March 1983
83 The Nuclear Freeze Resolution, 1983
Highlights of the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Resolution Passed
by the House of Representatives, 4 May 1983
84 The KAL 007 Incident, 1983
Statement by Secretary of State George Shultz on Soviet
Downing of Korean Jetliner, 1 September 1983
Part VI: The End of the Cold War, 1985-1991
85 The Geneva Summit, 1985
A. Excerpts from Joint Soviet-American Statement on the
Geneva Summit, 21 November 1985
B. Remarks by General Secretary Gorbachev
C. Remarks by President Reagan
86 The Reykjavik Summit, 1986
Excerpts from Gorbachev's Statement in Reykjavik,
12 October 1986
87 Reagan's 1987 Berlin Speech: "Tear Down This Wall"
Highlights of Reagan's Berlin Wall Speech, 12 June 1987
88 The INF Treaty, December 1987
Treaty on Intermediate and Shorter Range Nuclear Forces,
8 December 1987
89 The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan, 1988-1989
Gorbachev's Statement on Soviet Withdrawal from
Afghanistan, 8 February 1988
90 Gorbachev's UN Address, December 1988
Excerpts from Gorbachev's Speech to the United Nations,
7 December 1988
91 The Tiananmen Square Massacre, June 1989
A. Li Peng's Speech on Behalf of the Chinese Communist
Party Central Committee and State Council, 19 May 1989
B. Deng Xiaoping's Speech to Martial Law Units, 9 June 1989
92 The Opening of the Berlin Wall, November 1989
Statement Allowing East Germans to Travel Abroad or
Emigrate, 9 November 1989
93 NATO's London Declaration on the End of the Cold War,
July 1990
The London Declaration on a Transformed North Atlantic
Alliance, 6 July 1990
94 The Kohl-Gorbachev Agreement on German Unification,
July 1990
A. Statement by Helmut Kohl, 16 July 1990
B. Statement by Mikhail Gorbachev, 16 July 1990
95 The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), July 1991
Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic
Offensive Arms, 31 July 1991
96 The Attempted Coup in the USSR, August 1991
A. Announcement on Gorbachev's Removal and Formation
of Emergency Committee, 19 August 1991
B. Yeltsin's Call to Resist the Coup Attempt, 19 August 1991
C. President Bush's Statement on the Soviet Coup,
19 August 1991
D. Excerpts from Soviet Television Report, 21 August 1991
97 Gorbachev's Resignation Speech, December 1991
Highlights of Gorbachev's Resignation Speech,
25 December 1991