Tales of an American Culture Vulture

About the Book

Too much has been written about relations and negotiations between the governments of the United States and the former Soviet Union. But, what about the ordinary people-to-people contacts between the two countries? How were young, Russian-speaking Americans treated in the Soviet Union? Why did Soviet citizens stand for hours in the cold, rain and snow to visit American cultural exhibitions? What elaborate trips for Soviet dignitaries were organized by the US State Department? What happened when a Soviet delegation met with the John Birch Society in Iowa? What caused the Voice of America to stop hiring Russian-speaking Americans and to replace them with recent Soviet émigrés? Author Bill McGuire was part of this unusual world of exchanges, as well as a broadcaster on the Voice of America. This book is based on his experiences in the USSR and in the USA.

About the Author

Bill McGuire, a native of Pennsylvania, studied Russian at Georgetown University. He worked on three USIA-sponsored exhibits in the USSR, broadcasted on the Voice of America and traveled around the USA and USSR with high-level American and Soviet delegations. He now resides in a suburb of Washington, DC.