Description
Book SynopsisDescribes the reality of journalism behind the Iron Curtain - how Western reporters banded together to thwart Soviet propagandists, how their "official sources" were almost always controlled by the KGB, and how those sources would sometimes try to turn newsmen into collaborators.
Trade ReviewIt is one thing to know the Soviet Union and it is another to experience the Soviet Union. Daniloff has the remarkable advantage over most commentators on Russian affairs in that he actually knows the country well, both in its Soviet and post-Soviet incarnations, is familiar with the language and intimately so with the history; and on top of all of the foregoing, he has had extensive and at times dramatic experiences while in Russia. The result is a lively, informative, readable, and enlightening perspective, to be both enjoyed for its literary merits and digested for its insights." —Zbigniew Brzezinski, U. S. National Security Advisor, 1977–1981, and author of
Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower "Nicholas Daniloff’s
Of Spies and Spokesmen is a fascinating account of the joys and perils of covering the Soviet Union during the Cold War. This is journalism from the inside, by an accomplished practitioner who, through no fault of his own, became an international “incident.” A great read that puts the reader right in the spooky atmosphere of Moscow when the Cold War was at its height." —Ambassador Jack F. Matlock, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the USSR, 1987–1991, and author of
Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended"This is truly a journalist's memoir. With a keen eye for detail and a deep sensitivity towards his subject, Daniloff has written a rich and rewarding account of his years covering the Soviet Union. His knowledge of language and culture helped him go behind the Iron Curtain and humanize and explain a dictatorship that threatened us all. Thank you, Nick, for another splendid report." —Marvin Kalb, Edward R. Murrow Professor Emeritus at Harvard and former Moscow correspondent for CBS News
"Nick Daniloff has written a fascinating memoir which unveils for us a time when Moscow correspondents were risking all to keep us informed. He combines his experience in the last days of the Soviet Union with his own search for connections with his pre-revolutionary Russian forebears. He tops it off with insights from his time as a Washington reporter covering the U.S. State Department on the opaque politics of our own country. A thoroughly enjoyable read! And a wake-up call as to what may be happening in Russia today—albeit with the glitz of a society living on its resource wealth." —Ambassador Arthur A. Hartman, U.S. Ambassador to the USSR, 1982–1987
