The Unknown War: The 1939 Soviet-Japanese Border War and U.S. Policy in Asia
Submission Type
Event
Expected Graduation Date
2014
Location
Room E103, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-12-2014 10:00 AM
End Date
4-12-2014 11:00 AM
Disciplines
History
Abstract
The 1939 border war between the Soviet Union and Japan is often forgotten to history. While the Nazi invasion of Poland drew Europe into war, Japan and the Soviet Union clashed along their border on the other side of the world. This conflict between Japan and the Soviet Union did not go unnoticed by U.S. diplomats stationed in those countries. This presentation explores how the United States diplomatic community assessed the conflict between the Soviet Union and Japan in regard to the United States’ geopolitical interests in the region. In particular, an examination of the correspondences of the State Department with its Ambassadors in Japan and the Soviet Union reveal how even as war was breaking out around the world, the U.S. attempted to maintain its policy of non-interventionism.
The Unknown War: The 1939 Soviet-Japanese Border War and U.S. Policy in Asia
Room E103, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
The 1939 border war between the Soviet Union and Japan is often forgotten to history. While the Nazi invasion of Poland drew Europe into war, Japan and the Soviet Union clashed along their border on the other side of the world. This conflict between Japan and the Soviet Union did not go unnoticed by U.S. diplomats stationed in those countries. This presentation explores how the United States diplomatic community assessed the conflict between the Soviet Union and Japan in regard to the United States’ geopolitical interests in the region. In particular, an examination of the correspondences of the State Department with its Ambassadors in Japan and the Soviet Union reveal how even as war was breaking out around the world, the U.S. attempted to maintain its policy of non-interventionism.