Telling America's Story in Communist Times.

AuthorRickert, Jonathan

American Diplomacy

May 1, 2022

www.americandiplomacy.org

Title: Telling America's Story in Communist Times

Author: Jonathan Rickert

Text:

During my three tours of duty in communist Eastern Europe (USSR 1960s, Romania 1970s, and Bulgaria 1980s), U.S. diplomats were inhibited in their contacts with local citizens. Most of us spoke the local languages and longed to establish links with a broader range of people. Although that was not impossible, any relationship that was outside of accepted channels was likely either terminated by the local authorities or came to be controlled by them.

Visits to post by American experts in the cultural, educational, scientific, and other fields were always welcome, since they helped open doors to people whom it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to meet otherwise. In the case of the USSR, the 1958 U.S.-Soviet Cultural Agreement was a great boon. The size and importance of the Soviet Union meant that relatively large numbers of prominent Americans, including politicians, passed through Moscow. Those visits gave at least some local citizens a window on our country that helped to contradict the pervasive anti-American propaganda that the government promoted. Traveling U.S. exhibitions during my time there, such as "Hand Tools U.S.A.", exposed ordinary citizens in provincial cities to Russian-speaking American guides and to our culture and values.

Romania in the 1980s was a different story. Despite the existence of cultural and scientific exchange agreements between our two countries, formal activity was modest in scale. However, following President Nixon's groundbreaking August 1969 visit, our bilateral relations warmed considerably, and Bucharest became a destination of interest, especially for U.S. government officials, politicians, and businessmen. The U.S. Information Agency (USIA) was able to open an American library in the center of town that became a mecca for students and other intellectually curious people. Moreover, the natural friendliness and even pro-Americanism of many Romanians meant that they often were less fearful than Russians about interacting, if cautiously, with embassy officials. My wife and I were able to establish friendships with several artists that carried over into the post-1989 period.

Limited Exchanges in Bulgaria

Bulgaria was different from both the Soviet Union and Romania. Our official relations and interactions with the Bulgarian government and people were limited and...

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