Distorted Mirrors: Americans and Their Relations with Russia and China in the Twentieth Century. By Donald E. Davis and Eugene P. Trani. (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2009. xxxii, 461 pp. $49.95, ISBN 9780-8262-1853-7.)

Abstract

In comparing U.S. relations with Russia and China during the twentieth century, Donald E. Davis and Eugene P. Trani provide a good example of the tendency of American policy makers to base their views on stereotypes. They conclude that American opinion has been—with the exception of Russia during World War II and China during the Mao Zedong era—consistently positive toward China and negative toward Russia. They also express concern that viewing Russia and China in these distorted mirrors could have “dangerous consequences for America” if continued during the twenty-first century (p. xxii). The greatest strength of Distorted Mirrors is its tracing of the evolution of opinions on Russia and China among the American educated elite during the twentieth century. Anti-Russian prejudice began with the publication of Siberia and the Exile System by George F. Kennan in 1891 and was elaborated by subsequent Russian experts including Samuel Harper, Robert Kelley, Chip Bohlen, Loy Henderson, Eugene Lyons, and Paul Nitze. Together with anti-Soviet émigré historians, they created the impression that “there is not much about Russia to love” (p. 30). These observers of Russia portrayed the Soviet Union as an evil empire determined to expand its power and influence and, ultimately, to achieve military superiority over the United States. Consequently, American policy toward Russia should be one of strength, determination, and containment.