The paper attempts to analyze the contemporary Russian historiography of the perception of the Soviet Union in the public opinion of the United States during the Second World War. The author also tries to identify the main sources used by researchers, and also to clarify the basic concepts that exist in the Russian historiography of this issue. According to the author, the materials of the press and of public opinion polls, which have been actively used by scholars, dehumanize the issue and do not give a full depth look into the position of the American public towards the USSR. The only way to fill this gap is to use private sources.