Getting the Russians to Drink Pepsi

After growing up in New York City, Gilbert Robinson found himself at the heart of a unique moment of Cold War diplomacy when he traveled to Moscow in 1959 while serving as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for the Department of Commerce. During this trip he would take part in an exchange of exhibitions between the U.S. and Soviet Union, with the Soviet Union planning to showcase their products in the Coliseum in New York, and the U.S. taking over a massive 10-acre site in Moscow’s Sokolniki Park for the American National Exhibition. Robinson, who had just returned from organizing a major exhibition in Turkey, was tasked with coordinating and managing this massive event, which became the largest American presence in Moscow since the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.

This exhibition wasn’t just about showcasing consumer goods but symbolized a diplomatic thaw between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. Robinson oversaw operations on the ground, managed logistics, and facilitated cooperation between American and Soviet staff. The exhibition, which featured major American companies like IBM, GE, Ford, and General Motors, was meticulously curated, with Macy’s providing the furniture for the model house, and top American fashion models showcasing the best of U.S. apparel.

The real diplomatic spectacle came on July 24, 1959, when U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev attended the exhibition’s opening. Robinson had carefully planned the tour for these two powerful leaders, drawing on his military experience to organize the event efficiently, using a military tactic in which “the squad leader puts up his arm and everybody follows” to guide Khrushchev and Nixon through the exhibition without chaos or confusion.

Robinson facilitated a significant diplomatic moment when, at the request of the Vice President of PepsiCo, he offered a Pepsi to Khrushchev. “We’ll go by,” Robinson said, recalling the scheme, “and I’ll just go a little closer to the Pepsi exhibit. The Soviets are very egalitarian, and they’ll probably call out and offer drinks.” This plan not only worked, but created a relationship between the American company and Russia. “Khrushchev tasted it and knew what it was. In Russia, like most bureaucracies, you follow the lead of the leader. If Premier Khrushchev was going to drink Pepsi, we will drink Pepsi.” This seemingly trivial act led to Pepsi securing an exclusive 15-year contract to sell soft drinks in the Soviet Union.

“In Russia, like most bureaucracies, you follow the lead of the leader. If Premier Khrushchev was going to drink Pepsi, we will drink Pepsi.”

Gilbert Robinson

As they toured the exhibits, debates about the technological prowess of the two nations between Nixon and Krushev began to unfold. Robinson watched as the exchange escalated when Nixon demonstrated an Ampex tape recorder, accidentally playing back a recording of the two leaders in their discussion. “Khrushchev looked up and his mouth dropped open, as everybody’s did.” This interaction, captured in an iconic photograph of Nixon pointing to Khrushchev’s chest, would later become an emblem of Nixon’s toughness and leadership during the Cold War. “That picture was used in Nixon’s campaign, and a lot of people attribute that picture to helping him to win” as “the American people basically voted for the leader who they thought could deal best with the Soviet Union.”

Robinson’s work stands as a testament to the power of diplomacy in shaping global relations, demonstrating that moments of connection—no matter how small—can have lasting effects on history.