«Food as a weapon»: assumptions and opinions of the American press on the political purposes of the American relief administration in Soviet Russia

This article considers opinions of the various American newspapers about Russian mission of the American Relief Administration (1921 - 1923). Analysis of the materials of the American press enables to conclude that some of the American newspapers assumed that the American Relief Administration might organize anti-soviet activity in Russia. Attitude to this depended on political position of certain newspaper. According to this article three points of view were represented in the American press. Communists were convinced that the American Relief Administration intended to organize anti-soviet activity in Russia. Most of the liberals preferred to show understanding of communists’ suspicion to motives of the American Relief Administration. Most of the anti-bolshevik authors regarded positively to possible «anti-soviet activity». But their interpretation of «anti-soviet activity» distinguished from communists’ interpretation. In their opinion food relief could be used by two ways. Some of anti-bolshevik authors considered food relief as instrument of pressure. Others supposed that food relief could be peculiar agitation against soviet system.