Senator Joseph Irvine France: Politician Who Showed the Way to Cooperation Between the USA and Russia

Abstract

This article is devoted to the motives identification of the American Senator Joseph Irvine France concerning multilateral cooperation between USA and Soviet Russia that he argued for in the early 1920s. He wasn’t an adherent of communism, he also showed no sympathy to the left movements neither in America, either in Russia. Senator France was a pragmatic politician guided by common sense. Due in large part to this he formed his own opinion on the political processes taking place in America and in the world. Being well-educated, with the broad knowledge of world history, Senator had deep understanding of international relations mechanisms, therefore, Joseph I. France was driven by real interests of the United States, rather than by ideological dogmas and cliches used by the US authorities for assessment of events in other states. Despite the fact that the USSR, an ideological adversary of the United States, no longer exists, we can observe a full-fledged anti-Russian campaign launched by the US. Today US officials once again take a stand against Russian domestic and foreign policy. Unfortunately, there is not a single person among them who would speak as Senator France did, calling on his government to abandon threats, pressure, interference in Russia's internal affairs in favor of the trade development, the building of constructive relations aimed at joint solution of urgent problems facing both countries. That is precisely what makes it relevant to appeal to the views, arguments, and proposals of the American Senator, who showed the way to establishing cooperation between the United States and Russia.