German Invasion of the Soviet Union

The German Invasion of the Soviet Union began on June 22, 1941, when Germany attacked along an 1,800-mile front. In the account of Harry S. Truman’s response, the invasion becomes a revealing test of how he viewed the two totalitarian powers and the war between them.

The News and Truman’s Reaction

Asked what he thought of the attack, Truman proposed that the United States help whichever side was losing, so that Germany and the Soviet Union would inflict as many losses on each other as possible. He added that he did not want Hitler to win. The remark was blunt, and the account notes that it was ill-suited to the moment, but it made unmistakable the hostility behind his view of the conflict.

The Political Context

Truman’s response reflected a view shared by many Americans and members of Congress: they saw little difference between Nazi Germany and Communist Russia. The Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939 and the Soviet invasion of Finland had reinforced that judgment. Germany’s attack did not immediately erase Truman’s distrust of the Soviet regime; in the feeling described by the account, Stalin was receiving what he deserved.

Significance

The invasion therefore enters the narrative not simply as a military turning point, but as the occasion for Truman to voice a hard-edged view of both regimes. His wish to see them weaken one another was qualified by his refusal to accept a German victory, revealing the tension between his hostility to Soviet rule and his opposition to Hitler.