On U.S. Policy Towards Finland (1945-1960)

The United States policy toward Finland is not only an important component of American's European Cold War policy, but also has its own particularities. This dissertation focuses on the documents of American policies toward Finland and the Nordics, such as NSC2/1,NSC28, NSC28/1,NSC40, NSC121,NSC5403,NSC5914/1,NSC6024, NSC5426, NSC5712/1, NSC6025 and NSC6006/1,and explores the forge and the evolution of Truman Administration and Eisenhower Administration Finland Policy. The concern of American to Finland is connected with the process of American involving into the World affairs as a global power. The state of American and the Soviet Union Cold War confliction in the World and the peculiar of Finland constitute the basic background of the United States policy toward Finland decision. By reviewing early Fin-American relations, unscrambling the declassified documents of American government, and analyzing some important events, this dissertation revealed the essence of the United States policy toward Finland subordinating to U.S. policy toward U.S.S.R, pointed out the making of American Finland policy is come from American national security policy chiefly being directed against the Soviet, analyzed the general policy orientation and guiding thought of the United States policy toward Finland, and then proceeded to conclude and summarize the contributing factors, characteristics and influence of the policy.This dissertation is composed of the introduction, 5 chapters and the conclusion. The introduction introduced the current research on the United States policy toward Finland and the policy toward the Nordics, summarized the academic achievements on American Finland policy, and pointed out deficiencies of the current research. On the basis of doing so, explained the reason of selecting this subject of dissertation and the academic value of this dissertation, and introduced the researching methodology and logical frame applied in this dissertation.The first chapter studied two world wars and the origin of the United States policy toward Finland. Through historical review to the early Fin-American relations, this dissertation pointed out that from the very beginning of Finland's independence, the United State's think about Finnish issues was from the point of view of the United States policy toward European powers. The content of the United States policy toward Finland is more and more plenty with the increase of American's ability to affect the World affairs. The cultural accumulation in early mutual contacts formed the important elements in the United States policy toward Finland in the Cold War eras.The second chapter emphasized on the beginning of the Cold War between the west and the east, and the foundation of the Truman Administration's Finland policy. This chapter explored how the United States policy toward Finland was brought into the orbit of the Cold War against the Soviet Union, and mainly referred to the signature of the Finnish-Soviet Treaty of Friendship of 1948 and the formation of the Finnish-Soviet special relations, which took important role in the preliminary foundation of the Truman Administration's Finland policy. The put forward of NSC121 symbolized the Truman Administration had its systematical policy designs to Finland and the Nordic area, and also indicated the United States had begun to pay attention to the flank of the Europe.The third chapter explored the establishment of Eisenhower Administration's policy toward Finland. To start with analyzing Eisenhower Administration's national security policy, this chapter pointed out, with the put forward of"massive retaliation"and"liberation", the United States paid more attention to Finland which was called"outpost country"or"bounder country". The dissertation thought that NSC5403 is a quite well-provided documents paper. From the view of the contents of NSC5403 and a lot of its progress report, Eisenhower Administration's policy toward Finland is more systematic in theory, more self-conscious in awareness, and more concrete in practice.The fourth chapter mainly dealt with the adjustments of the second Eisenhower Administration's policy toward Finland. This chapter analyzed the reason for Eisenhower Administration adjusted its Finland policy. the author think that NSC5914/1 is adjustment of Eisenhower Administration's policy toward Finland, it reflected that, after the event of the Hungary, the United States attempted to attract the Eastern Europe take the way of"Finlandization"and separate themselves from the Soviet orbit through Finland which was so called"the example in front the communist doors".The fifth chapter discussed carefully Truman and Eisenhower Administration's policy toward Nordic countries from the area policy angle and investigated deeply into several problems with area significance.The conclusion summarized the reason, characters and the long term influence and historical significance of the United States policy towards Finland.