Today’s post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Research Services at the National Archives at College Park, MD.
One of the more notable events in U.S.-Soviet relations during the Eisenhower Administration War was the American National Exhibit in Moscow from July 25 to September 4, in 1959. This was the scene of the so-called Kitchen Debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Chairman of the Soviet Council of Ministers Nikita Khrushchev. The exhibit showcased United States accomplishments in agriculture, science, technology, social science, art, fashion, consumer goods, and other aspects of Western culture and progress.
An estimated 3 million visitors toured the exhibit. As Max Frankel wrote in a New York Times article of July 27, some of those visitors had sticky fingers. His longish article included the following comments:
Once again books and other handy objects disappeared from the shelves.
. . . .
Souvenir-hunting Russians, deprived of their desire to buy what they see, are helping themselves to hundreds of books, dolls, utensils, and other handy displays.
. . . .
The Americans do not object to the disappearance of the goods, but they wonder whether supplies will be sent from home to keep the show in stock for six weeks. About 1,500 of the 8,000 books on display were lost opening day.
As the following memorandum shows, the subject of the disappearing books came up at the Operations Coordinating Board (OCB) working lunch on July 29.
As a follow-up, on July 29, Abbott Washburn, Deputy Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) sent a telegram to the exhibit’s General Manager, Harold McClellan. He noted that Frankels’s comments about the purloined items had been discussed during the OCB meeting where it was recommended that those items be replaced quickly. Washburn asked for McClellan’s comments and noted that the books sent for an exhibit in Poznan, Poland, might be used to replace the pilfered books.
On July 30, the embassy noted: Book losses opening day grossly exaggerated. Have adequate supply on hand to replace disappearances experienced and contemplated. Our most serious problem on books Soviet attempt rigid censorship under duress. Believe will be able work out reasonable solution. Other pilfering substantially under control. Despite some problems consider exhibition huge success thus far.
Several days later, Ambassador Lewellyn Thompson in Moscow sent the following telegram to the Department for passing to George Allen, director of the United States Information Agency, the agency responsible for overseeing the Moscow exhibit.
While it is not clear if this telegram is a direct response to the one sent to the embassy, it does not refer to it by number as was normal practice, it deals with the issue of the disappearing books as well as other issues involving Soviet censorship of the U.S. exhibit of books.
On August 7, in another telegram from Washburn to McClellan, the Department wrote: New York Times story this morning says “Book section fast becoming display of barren shelves and dogeared torn volumes. One harried Exhibition official said ‘What we need is a plane load of new books in here fast before we have to close down.’” Advise if need replacements.
The embassy sent McClellan’s reply on August 8: Situation not as serious as would appear from Times story but we do need replacements urgently for both books which are wearing out and books which have disappeared. . . .
Sources: Memorandum, O’Connor to Merchant and Berding, July 29, 1959, file 861.191-MO/7-2959; Department of State to U.S. Embassy Moscow (for McClellan from Washburn), Telegram 361, July 29, 1959, file 103-USIA/7-2959; U.S. Embassy Moscow to Department of State, Telegram 387, July 30, 1959, file 861.191-MO/7-3059; U.S. Embassy Moscow to Department of State (for George Allen George, Director of USIA), Telegram 450, August 5, 1959, file 103-USIA/8-559; Department of State to U.S. Embassy Moscow (for McClellan from Washburn), Telegram 461, August 7, 1959, file 861.191-MO/8-559; U.S. Embassy Moscow to Department of State, Telegram 506, August 8, 1959, file 861.191-MO/8-859; 1955-59 Central Decimal File (NAID 302021), RG 59: General Records of the Department of State.
Max Frankel, “Pravda Reports Flaws in U.S. Fair: Soviet Organ Notes a Lack of Technical Displays – Souvenir Hunt Goas On,” New York Times, July 27, 1959, p. 12.
For more on Ambassador Thompson, see The Kremlinologist: Llewellyn E. Thompson, America’s Man in Cold War Moscow by Jenny and Sherry Thompson (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018).
Cover image: Returning Books to their Places, March 1953 (NAID 23932341). Photographs of Information Service Center Activities in Foreign Countries, RG 306
Fascinating story. This illustrates, to me at least, why banning books never really works.