Synopses & Reviews
Some fifty thousand Soviets visited the United States under various exchange programs between 1958 and 1988. They came as scholars and students, scientists and engineers, writers and journalists, government and party officials, musicians, dancers, and athletes—and among them were more than a few KGB officers. They came, they saw, they were conquered, and the Soviet Union would never again be the same.
Cultural Exchange and the Cold War describes how these exchange programs (which brought an even larger number of Americans to the Soviet Union) raised the Iron Curtain and fostered changes that prepared the way for Gorbachev's glasnost, perestroika, and the end of the Cold War.
This study is based upon interviews with Russian and American participants as well as the personal experiences of the author and others who were involved in or administered such exchanges. Cultural Exchange and the Cold War demonstrates that the best policy to pursue with countries we disagree with is not isolation but engagement.
Synopsis
Some fifty thousand Soviets visited the United States under various exchange programs between 1958 and 1988. They came as scholars and students, scientists and engineers, writers and journalists, government and party officials, musicians, dancers, and athletes--and among them were more than a few KGB officers. They came, they saw, they were conquered, and the Soviet Union would never again be the same. Cultural Exchange and the Cold War describes how these exchange programs (which brought an even larger number of Americans to the Soviet Union) raised the Iron Curtain and fostered changes that prepared the way for Gorbachev's glasnost, perestroika, and the end of the Cold War. This study is based upon interviews with Russian and American participants as well as the personal experiences of the author and others who were involved in or administered such exchanges. Cultural Exchange and the Cold War demonstrates that the best policy to pursue with countries we disagree with is not isolation but engagement.
About the Author
Yale Richmond, now retired, spent more than forty years in government service and foundation work, including thirty years as a Foreign Service Officer in Germany, Laos, Poland, Austria, the Soviet Union, and Washington, D.C.
Table of Contents
Contents Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Abbreviations and Acronyms
1. Russia and the West
2. The Moscow Youth Festival
3. The Cultural Agreement
4. Scholarly Exchanges
5. Science and Technology
6. Humanities and Social Sciences
7. Moscow Think Tanks
8. Forums Across Oceans
9. Other NGO Exchanges
10. Performing Arts
11. Moved by the Movies
12. Exhibitions—Seeing is Believing
13. Hot Books in the Cold War
14. The Pen Is Mightier . . .
15. Journalists and Diplomats
16. Fathers and Sons
17. The Search for a Normal Society
18. "Western Voices"
19. To Helsinki and Beyond
20. Mikhail Gorbachev, International Traveler
21. And Those Who Could Not Travel
22. The Polish Connection
23. The Beatles Did It
24. Obmen or Obman?
25. The Future
Afterword
Bibliography
Index