Jan Masaryk in American Diplomatic Correspondence, 1945–1948

Jan Masaryk (1886–1948) was the head of the Czechoslovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the most difficult period in the history of Czechoslovakia, from 1940 to 1948. The peak of his professional career came in the post-war years, when CSR was at the centre of the unfolding Soviet-American confrontation. As a son of the first Czechoslovak President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and the closest associate of his successor Edvard Beneš, Jan Masaryk was trying to advocate democratic traditions in his country and preserve close relations with the West. But in practice, Prague was increasingly drawn into Moscow's sphere of influence. His life was tragically cut short in March 1948, soon after the Communists takeover. Until now his death remains the subject of various theories and discussions. The question of how the fate of this politician and his country would have unfolded had he stayed alive remains open. The purpose of the article is to consider Masaryk in a new context, namely through his perception by American diplomats. The author attempts to ascertain whether they associated their hopes for strengthening the western orientation of the Czech Socialist Republic and countering Soviet influence with Masaryk, and what they believed to be the reasons for his sudden death. The article draws on a study of American diplomatic correspondence. The author concludes that despite Masaryk's reputation as a pro-Western politician, in the United States he was not considered an important and influential figure in Czechoslovakia. His refusal to join anti-communist forces at home and his support for Moscow in the international arena caused resentment in Washington. Masaryk's death resonated in American political circles. Yet the State Department made no attempt to investigate its causes in detail or to question the official version of his suicide. Nevertheless, Masaryk became a tragic symbol of resistance to communism and the collapse of the last hopes for maintaining close relations between Czechoslovakia and the West.

Keywords

Jan Masaryk, Czechoslovakia, history, United States, foreign policy, bilateral relations, political figures, biographies, Beneš

Received

11.08.2023

Publication date

31.10.2023

Number of characters

42081

Cite

GOST	Zorin A. Jan Masaryk in American Diplomatic Correspondence, 1945–1948 // Novaia i noveishaia istoriia – 2023. – Issue 5 C. 144-157 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://nni.jes.su/S013038640028073-8-1 (circulation date: 26.03.2025). DOI: 10.31857/S013038640028073-8
MLA	Zorin, Artyom "Jan Masaryk in American Diplomatic Correspondence, 1945–1948." Novaia i noveishaia istoriia 5 (2023):144-157. DOI: 10.31857/S013038640028073-8
APA	Zorin A. (2023). Jan Masaryk in American Diplomatic Correspondence, 1945–1948. Novaia i noveishaia istoriia (5), pp.144-157 DOI: 10.31857/S013038640028073-8

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 312

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Chekhiya i Slovakiya v XX veke: ocherki istorii [Czechia and Slovakia in the Twentieth Century: Essays on History]: v 2-kh kn. Kn. 2. Moskva, 2005. (In Russ.)

2. Iungbliud V.T. Mirovoi poriadok 1945 g. – protsess s “otkrytym” prodolzheniem [The World Order of 1945 – a process with an “open” continuation] // Vestnik MGIMO-Universiteta [Bulletin of MGIMO University]. 2020. № 4. S. 52–79. (In Russ.)

3. Mar'ina V.V. Vtoroj prezident Chekhoslovakii Edvard Benesh: politik i chelovek: 1884–1948 [The Second President of Czechoslovakia Edvard Beneš: Politician and Man: 1884–1948]. Moskva, 2013. (In Russ.)

4. Sovetskii faktor v Vostochnoi Evrope. 1944–1953 gg. Dokumenty [The Soviet factor in Eastern Europe. 1944–1953. Documents]: v 2-kh t. T. 1. 1944–1948 gg. / otv. redaktor T.V. Volokitina. Moskva, 1999. (In Russ.)

5. Vostochnaia Evropa v dokumentakh rossiiskikh arkhivov. 1944–1953 gg. [Eastern Europe in the documents of the Russian archives. 1944–1953]: v 2-kh t. T. 1. 1944–1948 gg. Moskva; Novosibirsk, 1997. (In Russ.)

6. Zorin A.V. Politicheskie partii Chekhoslovakii glazami amerikanskikh diplomatov, 1945–1948 gody [Czechoslovak political parties in American diplomats assessments, 1945–1948] // Rossiya i Amerika v XXI veke [Russia and America in the 21st century]. 2018. № 4. URL: http://rusus.jes.su/s207054760000068-1-1 (access date: 30.06.2023). (In Russ.)

7. Zorin A.V. Problema kompensatsii za amerikanskuiu sobstvennost' v Chekhoslovakii v 1945–1948 gg. [The problem of compensation for American property in Czechoslovakia in 1945–1948] // Izvestiia Ural'skogo federal'nogo universiteta. Seriia 2. Gumanitarnye nauki [Izvestiya Ural Federal University. Series 2. Humanities]. 2020. T. 22. № 4 (202). S. 208–223. (In Russ.)

8. Jan Masaryk: Uvahy o jeho smrti / ed. L. Kremlickova. Praha, 2005.

9. Jandečková V. Svědectví o smrti Jana Masaryka: Nová odhalení odkrývají pochybná “fakta” a odsouvají staré “pravdy”. Praha, 2021.

10. Lockhart R.B. Jan Mmasaryk. A personal Memoir. Norwich, 1956.

11. Lukes I. On the edge of the Cold War: American diplomats and spies in postwar Prague. New York, 2012.

12. Řezník J. Kdy opravdu zemřel Jan Masaryk. Praha, 2014.