Nikolai Vasilevich Novikov

Novikov's former residence in Washington, D.C.

Nikolai Vasilevich Novikov (Russian: Николай Васильевич Новиков) (7 February 1903–1989) was a Soviet diplomat born in Saint Petersburg. He graduated from the Oriental Institute there in 1930. In the following years he held various scientific and academic positions, also serving in the Foreign Office in Moscow and Soviet representative in Cairo during World War II. Most notably, he served as ambassador of the Soviet Union to the United States, being named to that post on 10 April 1946 until he was relieved of his duties on 24 October 1947; he had been away from Washington since being recalled to Moscow for consultations on 26 July that year.

Novikov and his wife had two sons, Yuri (b. 1939) and Nikolai (b. 1943).

In 1990, during Glasnost, some of Novikov's papers from 1946 were released; This revealed the influential "Novikov telegram" or "Novikov report" which was, in part, a reaction to the highly critical telegram of George Kennan (Stalin and Molotov were among the audience of this "top secret" article.) Novikov was ordered to file a report on the US foreign policy, and created a generally realistic - for example, in its evidence-based account of US militarisation in point 3 - account nonetheless tinged by ideology at points - such as its frequent appeal to the boogeyman of 'American monopolistic capital' (e.g. point 4.b)) and its assumption that the American elite dictated and orchestrated the newspapers' opposition to Russia (point 7.d)).

References

• Book review of Origins Of The Cold War: The Novikov, Kennan, And Roberts 'Long Telegrams' Of 1946, from Foreign Affairs
• "Novikov Telegram" https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/novikov.htm