He was a victim of cruel fate, a young American living in the USSR forced to endure unimaginable torture and…
The Day Stalin’s Daughter Asked for Asylum in the U.S.
On March 9th, 1967, Svetlana Alliluyeva — Joseph Stalin’s only daughter — walked into the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi…
Max Kampelman, A Hard-Nosed Pacifist
Max Kampelman (November 7, 1920 – January 25, 2013) was a key negotiator for the United States on major issues…
Nixon Goes to China
“There is no place on this small planet for a billion of its potentially most able people to live in…
McCarthy’s Red Herring
With his infamous Wheeling, West Virginia speech on February 9, 1950, in which he declared he had a list of…
The Show Trial of U-2 Pilot Francis Gary Powers
On May 1, 1960, an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union and its pilot, Francis…
The Assassination of Ambassador Spike Dubs — Kabul, 1979
Adolph “Spike” Dubs was a career diplomat who served in Germany, Liberia, and the Soviet Union. He became a noted Soviet expert, and in…
The Missiles of October
October 14, 1962, witnessed the start of one of the most potentially devastating moments in history, when the United States…
Fascinating Figures
Diplomacy and foreign policy attract some of the smartest, most dedicated, and most interesting figures in every generation. In this…
Country and Subject Reader Series
Interested in a particular country or subject? Go beyond the experiences of simply one diplomat with Country and Subject Readers.…