What I see in it is a conversation between heads of any two states of unequal power at any time, say the US and Israel, US and Indonesia, France and Algeria, Germany and Croatia, etc. Strategic planning, deal cutting - in a word business as usual.
The fact that such a great deal is made out of the Soviet archives is that that the x-USSR is often held to different standards than other countries.
General George Lee Butler, the former chief of the US Strategic Command (i.e. the guy who actually gives orders to push "the" button) once commented that "United States abandoned the difficult intellectual work of trying to understand the [USSR and its allies] in favor of simple demonization of [them]." A very apt characterisation of the 'docta ignorantia' practised by the US "Sovietologists" and assorted pundits, indeed. The only thing I may add is: "or simple sanctification."
Methinks that US punditry sees the x-USSR as either a super villain and will construe virtually *anything* to support that preconceived notion (cf. Brad DeLong's postings to this list), or as a super hero - and then they will deny *anything* that may contradict that notion. The kind of "slut-or-saint" imagery applied to a nation state, if you will.
These two types are obviously of unequal ethical value. The latter are naive idealists aka suckers -- the former are intellectual sluts prostituting their mouth to the clients with money and power (that was not intended to insult sex workers, for these at least have to do honest work for their money).
Needless to say that one can flip-flop between thse two positions at will, depending one one's emotional state. It does not surprise me when x-lefities turn into fire-breathing gopsters, and it would not surprise me if Soviet bashers of the Professor deLong's variety felt some sub-conscious desires for the fatherly figure of "Uncle Stalin." That, BTW, reminds me of a 1950s slogan on the "other" side of the iron curtain: "Long live Comrade Stalin/ Whose lips are sweeter than honey" (it rhymes better in the original). Well, power and sex can make interesting bedfellows, indeed.
Anyway, I am signing off for a few weeks, going to Turin and later to Warsaw (ah, that discreet charm of the old world order). I'll be back in December.
Best regards,
Wojtek