That isn't a bold claim at all - there was a cultural battle on the world stage between the USSR and the US as to which had the better society. Being perceived as nothing but a war machine would have lost that battle for the USSR.
I never claimed that the USSR was a war machine. I was simply explaining why the complex had to pretend that it 'wasn't only that', as requested by abcd_f. If you accept that there was a cultural battle going on, this explanation requires no further sourcing. If you do not accept there was a cultural battle, I suggest a little Googling because this is not an extraordinary claim.
Of course the US tries to say it's not a war machine, just like the USSR did, but just trying to say you're not a war machine doesn't actually mean that people think you're a war machine.