Pardon Me, Boys, Is That the Trans-Siberian Choo-choo? - Listen -

Pardon Me, Boys, Is That the Trans-Siberian Choo-choo?

Listen now

Description

It was unusual for any Americans during the Cold War to travel in the Soviet Union but Russell Sveda did just that in 1969. After serving for two years as a Peace Corps (PC) volunteer in Korea, he decided to make his way home by taking the path less traveled and riding the Trans-Siberian railroad. He talks about meeting ethnic Koreans in Samarkand, his offer of marriage by a woman he didn’t even know, and an hours-long “interview” with a KGB agent posing as a journalist. He was interviewed by Charles Stuart Kennedy in 2000.

More Episodes

See all »

Dealing with a Leftist Dipsomaniac: The United States and Ecuador’s Carlos Arosemena

In the 1960s, U.S. foreign policy had two bugbears: the Soviet Union and Cuba. The United States wished to prevent another Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro’s rise to power, through policies like the Alliance for Progress. As the United States continued to worry about potential leftist...

Published 06/16/20

In Their Own Voices

Published 06/16/20

Tex Harris Keep Your Hands Above Your Head

Distinguished American diplomat Tex Harris recounts attempted intimidation by Argentine security forces in 1977, at the height of that country’s “Dirty War.” From the series "Tales of American Diplomacy" by the Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training. Because diplomacy matters now more...

Published 05/13/20