Joseph E. Davies

Joseph E. Davies; November 29, 1876 – May 9, 1958), was an American lawyer, diplomat and author, noted for his position as U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1936–1938).[1] Davies played an important role in American foreign policy during a time of mounting international tensions as World War II approached. Davies, a well known observer of Soviet society and government, published Mission to Moscow offering Americans an ambiguous, sometimes controversial view of the Soviet Union.

Early Life and Career

Davies attended University of Wisconsin Law School, graduating with honors Born in Watertown, WI He would become a well-respected lawyer and then quickly move up the political ladder in the Democratic Party. A brief biographical sketch: Davies was an early proponent of Woodrow Wilson and subsequently held several positions during the Wilson administration, including FTC Chairman, where he promoted fair competition and opposed monopolies.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt named Joe as U.S Ambassador to the Soviet Union due to his public service dedication as well as ties he had built within the Democratic Party. Davies was without a doubt brilliant -- and, more crucially, experienced: Roosevelt hoped that Davies's legal mind would explain the ever-changing political landscape of the USSR when moving toward a visit to Nazi Germany and increasingly closer ties with other Europen powers.

Ambassadore to the Soviet Russia

Just when he got to Moscow, though, Stalin was in the middle of one of his biggest crazes — the Great Purge: a reign of terror that included political repressions at home and virtually open show trials; both designed to root out threats to Stalin’s rule. Davies found himself in a difficult situation because he had to remain diplomatic while also explaining the Soviet Union's oppressive policies to Americans as they unfolded before his eyes.

Davies always wrote back home in a strangely sympathetic manner to the motivation of Stalin, suggesting that purges were necessary steps to protect Soviet stability during a time when politics was hostile. He was convinced that Stalin had to sift the loyal from the errant and rid Bolshevism of its internal enemies if unity against fascism, especially Nazi Germany, was to be forged. That may seem a controversial point of view, but Davies tried to maintain contacts because he saw the USSR as an ally against Hitler.

Davies helped him in Mission to Moscow—his 1941 book about his impressions of Russian society and politics, with its >prophetic title. While the book's treatment of Stalin and the USSR was met with some criticism, especially during the Cold War years, it gained widespread currency at least during WWII. As part of the U.S.'**s wartime propaganda campaign to support the Soviet Union as a crucial colleague in the fight against Nazi Germany, Mission to Moscow was transformed into a movie in 1943.

Life After Moscow

Davies would go onto his post in the USSR with such confidence and experience under his belt that he would not only perform diplomacy work there, but also become U.S. Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg from 1938-1939, a time when great efforts were being made to secure Western European allies together against fascism.Daviesrealized (or at least speculated) that American support for many international efforts had waned following WWI due to the feelings of isolationism felt by so many Americans after such a devastating war. For this period also, Davies acted as special envoy, and covered political news in Europe including Nazi expansion.

Once back in the United States, Davies stayed active in public life urging a firm relationship with the Soviet Union to overwhelm Axis forces. Although support for U.S.-Soviet cooperation fell out of favor in the post-war era, when anti-Soviet sentiments took hold during (and after) the Cold War, he continued to uphold these ideals. Yet Davies held firm to his beliefs, arguing that peace and stability depended upon the superpowers working together.

Davies spent his later years advocating for international collaboration — including writing about his own experiences. He became a social figure in Washington, D.C., after marrying Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post cereal fortune. Davies used his career, writings and speeches to create understanding between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, leaving a controversial legacy that encapsulated both the complexities of human diplomacy in an age of ideological conflict and the unfiltered dogma attempting to sway public opinion against its best interest.