“Up Close with American Exhibit Guides to the Soviet Union 1959-1991,” traces an American cultural adventure in what seems an almost bygone age. (The Foreign Service Journal, May 2023)

The Soviet Union allowed the United States Information Agency (USIA) to set up cultural exhibits in various Soviet cities. The exhibits were staffed by Russian-speaking American young people. They answered questions by Russian citizens, most of whom at the time had little or no access to media not controlled by their government.

Two visitors were Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who engaged in their famous “kitchen debate” in 1959.

The exhibits included examples of “American ingenuity, technology, and daily life—from graphic arts, photography, and agriculture to outdoor recreation, technology for the home, and medicine.” Visitors to the exhibits included a broad swath of Soviet people.

The American young people profited from their experience as guides. “Many went on to careers in diplomacy, business, law, academia, and the arts where their language skills and overseas experience were a plus.”

John Beyrle, one of the American guides, later joined the U.S. Foreign Service. His long career included an assignment as ambassador to Russia.

He wrote: “What we learned from the exhibits program, and what I think is still relevant to today’s Russia, is that people’s desire for the truth grows in direct proportion to the extent to which the truth is denied them. We need to offer our strongest support for the hundreds of thousands of Russians who now live in exile outside Russia . . . who seek a different future for their country, and have both the skill and the will to ensure that the truth continues to reach the largest number of people inside Russia as possible.”