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FROM: John F. Sloan
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DATE OF TRIP: 1 - 12 December 1991
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PURPOSE: To complete plans for a military history tour of
Russia, Estonia, and Ukraine for July 1992.
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RECOMMENDATION:
The U.S. military should immediately begin as large a program of
direct interaction with Russian (and other republic) military officers as
possible. With the destruction of Marxism as a focal point and anchor for their
world-view, self-view, and ethical system the Russian officer corps is now
searching for a new personality and "soul". The US should do
everything possible to direct this search toward a democratic basis favorable
to future cooperation. There are strong, hyper-nationalist elements in Russian
society similar to the National Socialists in Germany of the 1930's. If the
officer corps becomes strongly influenced by and adheres to this kind of
philosophy, we will have major trouble in future years.
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INDIVIDUALS MET FOR DISCUSSIONS:
Colonel Yuri Babich, Frunze Academy
Colonel Vitali Leonov, Frunze Academy
Lt. Col Oleg Orekhov, Frunze Academy
Dr. Georgii Vadimovich Vilinbakhov, Curator, Hermitage Museum
Dr. Captain First Rank Viacheslav P. Zimonin, Vice chief, Institute of Military
History of Ministry of Defense and two of his staff including
Dr. Capt. First Rank Valerii N. Vartanov, Military History Institute
Mr Valeri A. Kudashkin, historical editor, Orel
Mr. Voloyda Snitkovsky, military historian and editor
Dr. Lev Dvoretsky, Manager, Military-Economic Publications, AMSCORT
International
Mr. Vladimir Stepashkin, Director of Tourism, ASK TOURS, Moscow
Mr Roman Vartanov, Deputy General Manager for Tourism, Soviet Culture Fund, St.
Petersburg
Mr Valentin N. Navara, Chief Dept of Guide Interpreters, Soviet Cultural
Foundations
Mrs Vera P. Novoselova, Director for Tourism, INCOMART, Kiev, Ukraine
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LOCATIONS VISITED:
Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vyborg, Narva, Pskov, Pskovo-Pechorskii Monastery,
Zagorsk.
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ITINERARY:
1 December - fly from Dulles Airport
2 December - arrive in Moscow 3 PM via Frankfurt
3 December - discussion at ASK tours on history tour for July 1991
4 December - AM meeting Frunze Academy military history professors
4 December - PM meeting at Military History Institute with faculty and tour of
institute and its library.
5 December - visit Zagorsk, check out hotel facilities etc.
5 December - night train to St. Petersburg
6 December - met at train, immediate visit to Artillery, Engineer, and Signal
troops Museum, then visits to Naval Museum, and Suvorov Museum
7 December - Tour to Vyborg via the Mannerheim line fortifications and front
lines of Russian and Finnish forces in Winter War and World War II
8 December - Trip by bus to Pskov via Narva, Ivangorod, and Kopor'ye
9 December - Tour Pskov, Izborsk, and Pechora Monastery, then drive back to St.
Petersburg late at night
10 December - visit non-public areas of Hermitage, discussion with curator -
visit artist's studio - visit with Russian military historians - then night
train back to Moscow
11 December - Further discussion with officers from Frunze Academy and ASK tour
agents
11 December PM dinner with Dr. Lev Dvoretsky and Dr. Bryan Fugate
12 December - 6 AM flight return to USA.
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SUBSTANCE OF MAIN DISCUSSIONS:
The overwhelming impression is that the Russian military historians are eager
(even desperate) for increased and widespread contacts with Americans. They are
anxious to have their work published in English and ready to cooperate in any
possible way with American military historians on new research projects.
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The Frunze Academy
- the department of the history of military art headed by Dr Richard
Mikhailovich Portugalski - will provide serving officer historians as guides/
lecturers for a professional-level, military history tour to battlefields and
fortresses in the Moscow - Smolensk - Tula - Vladimir region. These are the
officers who conduct "staff rides" for the Frunze Academy student
body. They want to contribute to western military history journals and are
prepared to author books on Russian military history for publication in the US.
They were a bit skeptical at first that the professional level of the American
visitors would be up to the kind of program they conduct, but I showed them the
names of some of the potential participants and they brightened up immediately.
All three officers are clearly very professional, but extremely warm and
friendly in their attitude and approach.
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The Military History Institute
- The deputy director, Captain First Rank Viacheslav Zimonin, indicated that
the Institute is in somewhat hard times, financially, being expected to pay its
way by the Ministry of Defense. This is an added incentive they have for
establishing contacts with Americans that they perceive might bring them
opportunities to make a little money through research, publication and
cooperation. His staff officers indicated that they would love to have someone
come to an American military history meeting and present a paper. They
specifically mentioned that one of the Institute members is an expert and has
written already on Soviet amphibious and joint operations in World War II on
the invasion of Sakhalin and the Kurilies. However, they lack funds to support
such a trip. The deputy director indicated that, if they received some kind of
invitation through the Ministry of Defense, they probably could manage to get
an Aeroflot ticket. Some US host would have to help cover the living expenses
of the Russian visitor during the conference.
They indicated that they would welcome the idea of a substantive meeting at
which short papers were presented during the July tour.
The Military History Institute will serve as a focal point for requests from
American historians for access to the various Russian history archives. They
indicated that access will become wider than ever. They are prepared to provide
me with a written letter granting access to participants in the July tour. When
I mentioned that I am on the editorial board of an encyclopedia of the VietNam
War, they jumped in to say that they were eager to open the Russian archives on
Soviet participation in that war and one officer indicated that his research
indicates that there is a lot in the archives of interest on that subject.
They gave me a long tour of the Institute library to show books on early
Russian military history. They prepared a list of available books on Russian
military history from 1300 to 1800, and one on the history of Russian
fortifications, at my previous request. They would like to earn some money by
making Xerox copies of these. Some are probably rare enough to warrant copying,
but many are modern and most likely available in the West already.
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The Artillery, Engineer, and Signal Troops Museum in St.
Petersburg:
This is an incredible place, it has got to be the largest military museum in
the world, with 16 km of exhibit halls and 3 million items in the collection.
Sadly, the overall impression is of piles of diamonds scattered about in a coal
mine. The contents are priceless treasures, but the building is falling apart.
The deputy director personally took me on a two-hour, whirlwind tour through so
many locked doors into restricted areas that I was reeling from the experience.
In each department the curators were standing at attention with eager speeches
about their pride and joy. All were so excited at the opportunity to show off
that it was clear they all work there out of love of their art. Mention by my
friend of the pauper-level salaries they receive confirmed this impression.
The Museum title is something of a misnomer since it contains all manner of
militaria from thousands of rare books and manuscripts, to the world's largest
collection of orders and decorations, to medieval arms and armor, to original
uniforms, to artistic designed small arms. Among the small arms are the
beautiful hunting rifles and shotguns of Brezhnev, Grechko, and Akromeyev.
Original materials include the personal belongings of Kutuzov and other Russian
commanders. Of course the artillery pieces, engineer equipment, and signal
equipment are there in the thousands as well. In fact late medieval, iron
cannon barrels are stacked like firewood. There are dioramas, models, and
paintings to illustrate the historical development of all three arms. The court
yard is filled with large artillery pieces and there are more, including real
SSM, inside as well.
The museum staff is eager to open the collections to researchers and to expand
their publication programs. At a meeting in his office after the tour, the
deputy director offered virtually carte blanc access and to support
whatever substantive research programs I might require.
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The Hermitage:
The military side of the Hermitage collections is not so well known and a lot
of it is not open to the public. The curator, Georgii V. Vilinbakhov, took me
behind the scenes into numerous sealed and alarmed rooms. I saw a tiny part of
the museum's 6,000 military flags and standards dating to the 17th century.
There are galleries devoted to portraits of Russian military commanders. The
Imperial family, especially some of the grand dukes who were themselves
commanders of the army, were avid collectors of militaria. Dr. Vilinbakhov
presented me with an album of Russian military music from 1812, played on
original instruments and transcribed from old recordings made prior to 1914. He
is an avid student of the Napoleonic era and supports the expanding Russian
interest in reenactment societies and military miniature painting. Again, the
discussion centered on what more possibly could the Russian historians do for
us. Dr. Vilinbakhov is on the editorial board of a new military history journal
and provided sample copies.
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IMPRESSIONS OF CURRENT LIFE:
Since the purpose of the visit was meetings with military historians and visits
to the historical locations for the summer tour, I did not have a spare moment
for general sightseeing or wandering in the cities during the entire 10 days.
However, in the course of the trip I did visit several stores and of course ate
in a number of restaurants. Naturally the major restaurants in the large hotels
were looking prosperous and doing a booming business, mostly with tourists at
high prices. We ate many meals in regular Russian restaurants including in such
places and Pskov, Zagorsk, and Vyborg. There too the food was plentiful and
good and for very reasonable prices. This is because restaurants have
connections with their suppliers. The places were crowded with local Russians
dancing to live bands. I did not go into any food stores, but walked or drove
by many, each with its long lines of customers standing in the snow. The
ordinary Russians are faced with empty shelves and counters. One way they are
coping is by organizing cooperation among neighbors. In this way each might
obtain a supply of one item and then trade it around among the group. In one
general merchandise store I found quite a variety and quantity of women's
clothing. In another there was only a pitifully sparse quantity of hardware,
toys, stationary, and radio parts.
The most disturbing observation during the trip was the recognition that some
kind of Mafia is clearly in charge of access to the (some?) tourist hotels,
especially in St. Petersburg. When I pointed out my observation to my Russian
friends, they acknowledged the fact but indicated there was no one in
government in charge who could do anything about it. Most likely enough
government officials are being paid off that an investigation would be
squashed. The profits are undoubtedly immense and will be used to fuel access
into control of other commercial ventures.
Traffic on the city streets was in a huge jam, quite different from the empty
streets I remember from 1964. However, there were long lines at the gas
stations. In the Pskov region many gas stations were out of fuel and there were
very long lines of heavy trucks and busses waiting for the next delivery. We
traveled in a diesel vehicle with several extra fuel cans and managed to make
it to Pskov and back. There was some diesel fuel at stations that were out of
gasoline. The condition of the streets is even worse than Washington DC.
The night trains from Moscow to St. Petersburg and back were quite an
experience. I paid the INTOURIST set fare of $35.00 each way and obtained
thereby a ticket in advance from the agent for a bunk in a two-bunk sleeping
compartment. The Russians, by standing in line at the station, could obtain a
ticket to a four-person compartment for about $6.00. My compartment companion
on the trip north was a senior scientist, Geologist, Member of the Academy of
Sciences. He commented that since Aeroflot only accepts payment in hard
currency even on domestic flights, it was impossible even for him to obtain a
ticket. In fact he said he was lucky to get the INTOURIST controlled ticket to
the two-person compartment instead of the four-person one. On the return trip
my companion was a Indian business man who established a joint venture to run
Indian restaurants in St. Petersburg and Moscow two years ago. He said he is
doing very well.
I visited two Russian friends in their apartments in St. Petersburg and Moscow.
These are small, single room affairs with shared bath and kitchens. The
buildings are falling apart. Yet the Russians are cheerful and quite optimistic
about the future.
We visited one extraordinarily talented artist in his studio on an upper floor
of the Admiralty complex. While the building facade on the Neva appears
gorgeous, the inner courtyard is a pile of debris and crumbling masonry. The
ancient staircase was coming apart along with the ceilings and walls. My guide,
a very cultured man from the Hermitage, remarked that I was seeing the St.
Petersburg of Dostoyevsky.
Crossing the border into Estonia at Narva was an interesting experience. The
Russian side was manned by a small group of indifferent fellows who were waving
people through in each direction. On the Estonian side of the Narvona River
things were quite different. A large gang of recruited young,
motorcycle-gang-member types was lording it over all passersby, checking
vehicle trunks carefully, ostentatiously checking passports, and acting
generally like they wanted all to know who is now in charge. I was told that
come January they are going to impose a 500 ruble entrance fee and a 200 ruble
exit fee for the privilege of seeing Estonia. Conditions in the Estonian
housing areas were exactly like in Russia. BAD.
Everyone was quite happy about the new confederation of Ukraine, Byelorussia,
and Russia announced on Sunday. They all evaluated Gorbachev favorably for his
initial beginning of the revolution, but faulted him for not being able to keep
up with the times and needs of the people. They said it was time for him to go.
Several friends indicated they were quite apprehensive during the coup attempt
in August, but felt that now there would be no possibility of a repeat attempt.
According to my friends, the Kazan Tatars have declared the annexation of Kazan
in 1556 to be "illegal". The Russians think this is some kind of
joke. They seem to feel there will be no problems between Russians and
Ukrainians.
"Joint ventures" are proliferating. Moscow was full of Germans and
the Japanese were quite in evidence as well. In St. Petersburg the
Scandinavians were having a great holiday taking advantage of the incredible
shopping bargains the fall of the ruble had generated. Among the great
paradoxes is the split in prices. Items produced by the state and sold in state
stores, particularly printed matter, are sold for pennies. Workers in the
Russian economy are paid pennies as well. But those who have managed to gain
access to the tourist trade or to some kind of work that can be exported for
hard currency are already quoting their prices at Western market levels.
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DIARY OF DAILY ACTIVITIES:
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1 December:
Left Dulles in the evening on an excellent Lufthansa flight. The Frankfurt
airport on morning of 2 December was greatly overcrowded and unpleasant.
2 December:
- Arrived at Sheremetov II, Moscow around 3 PM in light rain. The
departure/arrival area was deserted and dark, but there was a large crowd
outside the customs area waiting for incoming passengers. Passing through
passport control and customs took over an hour, despite the greatly reduced
attention to examining luggage. I was met by tour agency interpreter and driver
and by my American friend currently attending school in Moscow. The drive
downtown in the darkness was in very heavy traffic over deteriorating streets.
I observed large crowds waiting for and on numerous buses. Since there is no
evident parking place around most of the large apartment complexes, it is an
immediate question who owns all the cars.
The Salut hotel is in the southwestern outskirts. A major secured compound with
impressively large building was readily visible from my window. The hotel seems
to cater to German and Middle Eastern business people, students and tourists.
There were also quite a few Asiatics in evidence. The restaurant is large, with
at least four dining rooms. Meals were excellent. The hotel has its own hired
guard force that is quite active in checking ID of people who enter.
The exchange rate for the ruble changed on the first day from 47 to 90 to 1 for
the dollar. This caused the exchange office to close for the next four days due
to lack of rubles.
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3 December:
The meeting all day at ASK tours went very well. Lunch was at the Sofia
restaurant, which is excellent. The ASK tour agency is a "joint
venture" with Japanese participants, involved in a wide variety of
enterprises including a major project in support of children's hospitals.
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4 December:
In the morning three colonels from the Frunze Academy came to the ASK tour
offices to discuss their participation in the July tour. They considered the
itinerary I proposed carefully and offered many valuable suggestions. They were
prepared with maps and information about the regions to be visited. Lunch was
again at the excellent Sofia restaurant. Despite the fact that the restaurant
was less than half full, the doormen would not allow a large crowd of Russians
to enter, but apparently were reserving their food supply for special customers
and guests.
In the afternoon we visited the Military History Institute and were greeted
very warmly with the usual Russian presents of pins and mementos. The library
is large, but not extraordinarily so or extra impressive. A visit into the
stacks revealed some shelves of 19th century military books. But I understand
the library of the Voroshilov Academy is larger.
In the evening we visited the open air market on the Arbat. For all its fame, I
think it is overrated. Of course, in a freezing snowfall one is not likely to
find throngs of buyers or sellers on a dark night. It amounts to a couple of
blocks of pedestrian mall closed to vehicles. All the goods for sale at the
small tables are for tourists. Prices reflect that fact, but with the sudden
drop in value of the ruble, there were still good bargains. A small flashlight
proved indispensable for examining the wares. Better bargains were available in
the bookstores adjacent to the mall.
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5 December:
The day began with a very long drive in light snow fall to the famous monastery
at Zagorsk. It was worth the trip. We observed Orthodox services being
conducted in several churches and then toured an excellent museum to
Renaissance period Russian religious art, mostly the gifts of various Tsars
from Ivan IV to Alexis Michailovich and their wives. The church services were
impressive for the crowd of people in attendance. More time was spent examining
the impressive fortifications constructed by Ivan IV. The main walls are 1021
meters long and 10-12 meters high and 6-8 meters thick. There are 12 towers
including the 4 main watchtowers on the corners. There are 1100 embrasures for
firearms of various sizes. These served well when the Polish army of 17,000
besieged to fortress in 1608 and again in 1618. In 1608 2,400 defenders
successfully held out for 16 months. A fine late-lunch was served in the local
hotel, which we inspected for its suitability for the July trip. It is
definitely Spartan, but no doubt the best available in this region. With
darkness by 3 PM there was not much time for sightseeing. The drive back to
Moscow was uneventful. Dinner at the hotel was followed by transfer to the
train station for the midnight train to St. Petersburg. The station was crowded
with Russians trying to secure places. Apparently tickets are in short supply.
The sleeper compartment was quite comfortable and warm, but the toilet was
impossible. The car attendant charges 5 rubles for the linen (sheets and
washcloth). Hot water to make tea is available. Experienced travelers bring
their tea bags and snacks. The train ride was reasonably smooth, but apparently
the train was not as high a priority one as advertised, because it was stopped
frequently to allow other trains to proceed. The result was arrival in St.
Petersburg 2.5 hours late. This not only inconvenienced the delegation waiting
for me, but also eliminated the morning program they had planned.
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6 December:
With arrival delayed to nearly noon a quick lunch at the hotel was followed by
an immediate visit to the Artillery Museum, located in the hornwork of the
Peter and Paul Fortress. Nearly three hours of guided exploration of its vast
treasure halls left me exhausted mentally as well as physically. Something
should be done to bring this wealth of resources to the attention of history
scholars and the public at large. I hope to find some financial support to
mount a traveling exhibition showing "800 years of Russian military
history" for the American public.
There was no time to view the Peter and Paul Fortress itself. The naval museum
is much smaller, but still magnificent. Its displays are in even better
condition for public viewing. Next on the schedule was a brief tour of the
Suvorov Museum. Here the extremely ernest young guide recited enough detail and
trivia about Suvorov to fill a book. With a salary of 100 rubles ($1.10) a
month he certainly earns his pay.
The Hotel Leningrad is much superior to the Salut in Moscow. The restaurant
likewise is outstanding. Unfortunately it is somewhat disconcerting to observe
how the Mafia has taken over practical control (see above).
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7 December:
Pearl Harbor day was spent on a long drive to Vyborg and back. Our young guide
from the Suvorov Museum is also an exceptional expert on the Winter War and
World War II on the Russo-Finnish Front. Immediately north of St. Petersburg we
passed Sestroretsk, built as an arms factory by Peter I. Here the famous
designer, Mosin, built his model 1890 rifle. Next on the right is a monument to
the defenders of Leningrad during WWII. We drove over many back roads (and in
Russia even the main highways are questionable) in order to see particular
sections of the fortified positions occupied by the Russians or Finns during
various phases of the two wars. We stopped on one deserted stretch in order to
walk through the woods (at -10 degrees in the snowfall) to climb about in
destroyed Mannerheim line pillboxes and entrenchments. Most interesting and
worthwhile. The road also passed by Zelenogorsk, Peter the Great's settlement
of Ukrainians ordered to produce charcoal for the arms factories.
Vyborg itself is a medieval town that developed around a Swedish castle built
in 1293. The Novgorodians immediately besieged the place in 1294,
unsuccessfully. Ivan III took the fortress and town by siege in 1495, but it
was lost again. It was again besieged, by Ivan VI, in 1556 and by Peter I in
1706 and 1710. The castle is quite impressive and contains two nice museums. In
one there was a temporary exhibition of paintings of Repnin. The other houses a
permanent exhibit tracing the history of the city and its sieges and local
warfare. There are remanents also of the medieval city wall as well as the 18th
century bastions constructed on order of Empress Anna Ivanova after 1731. The
waterfront appeared quite busy with export of forest products the major
activity.
Apparently the Finns were celebrating the anniversary of their own independence
by partying in Vyborg. Numerous bus loads of Finns filled most of the
restaurants and the better stores. Still our Russian guides from St. Petersburg
took advantage of the occasion to buy quite a few items not available at home.
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8 December:
We left the hotel by small diesel bus early and stopped for breakfast at a
large hotel on the southern outskirts of St. Petersburg. Evidently this hotel
caters to Scandinavians as it was packed and the breakfast menu in the fine
restaurant consisted of a Scandinavian style smorgasbord. The Russian guides
indicated that the Swedes enjoy a winter holiday by visiting St. Petersburg for
the bargain hunting. The trip continued past the Russian and German front lines
from World War II in the southern suburbs. We used the occasion for a general
discussion of the siege during WWII and examined local maps to trace the lines.
ALL the local guides and my friends there had lost fathers and or other
relatives during the war.
The defense of the western approaches to Leningrad was a combined operation of
the Soviet Army and Navy. The Navy, although bottled up in the Gulf of Finland,
was able to employ its guns in support of the ground forces holding the piece
of southern coastline that prevented the Germans from reaching Leningrad in
that sector.
Traveling by back roads along the Baltic coast we came to the ruins of the
Novgorodian fortress at Kopor'ye, built in the 12th century. This was their
main defensive position to hold the coast line and a very large interior region
against Swedish and Livonian attackers. It was located about midway between the
northern forts on the Neva and Lake Ladoga (Orshek and Starya Ladoga) and the
western forts on the Luga area (Yam). The ruins are impressive. The fortress
was built on an excellent tactical site, a narrow neck of land between two
steep ravines. A site difficult to find in this flat region. The base of the
neck was cut to form a moat. Despite the cold and snowstorm we managed to climb
into several round towers and evaluate the fields of fire from the walls.
We soon crossed the Luga River, another front line during the first months of
the war. The heroic defense of the Luga line during August gave the citizens of
Leningrad time to construct the more extensive field fortifications to the rear
that eventually held the Germans over the winter of 1941-42. Unfortunately the
Soviet commander in the Baltic district, who led the defense of the Luga line
was nevertheless executed by Stalin as a scapegoat.
Next stop was the massive fortress constructed by Ivan III on a high bluff of
the Navrona River opposite the Swedish fortress at Narva. The walls are very
high and the towers circular. Clearly the revolution in fortifications that
took place in Italy and France shortly afterwards did not have any influence on
its construction or result in later changes. There are a few casemented
embrasures for cannon low down, in a outwork that covers the river. Otherwise,
the embrasures along the high parapet clearly could not accommodate more than
the smallest caliber cannon or small arms. The fortress is, nevertheless, very
imposing and impressive in appearance.
The crossing into Estonia is discussed above. Narva is a pleasant town with the
typical extensive housing development spread to the northern and western
suburbs. The city was practically completely destroyed during World War II, so
the majority of the buildings date since 1945. However the main medieval
stronghold of the Teutonic Knights and then Swedish governor survived the war
intact. This is the famous "High Herman" central keep, a massive
square tower with tent shaped top. It is located on the very edge of the
precipice along the Navrona River. The castle consisted of this tower plus a
rectangular courtyard whose outer walls also remain in good condition. The
Swedes added new bastioned walls of West European type in the 1600's but it was
too dark for us to inspect them. The city is most famous in Russian history for
the two sieges by Peter I during the Great Northern War, 1700 and 1704. These
events and many others are well displayed in the castle museum. Among the
artifacts on display are a well-preserved kol'chuga and replicas of
regimental standards. There was also a visiting Swedish exhibition of original
manuscripts and maps relating to the city dating from the 15th to 18th
centuries.
The local restaurant is nice with the usual Russian four-course meal.
From Narva to Pskov was a five-hour drive down the eastern (Russian) side of
Lake Chud in a snowstorm over third-class roads. Arrival at 9PM was greeted
with much relief, since we had found the local gas stations along the route
empty and had dipped into our cans of reserve diesel fuel.
The hotel in Pskov is clearly not on the usual tourist itinerary, but it is
adequate for tired travelers. The attached restaurant was jammed with Russians
on a night out, dancing to a four-piece combo. Again, the food was excellent
and plentiful.
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9 December:
I watched from the hotel window as hundreds of Russians trudged through the
snowstorm to work in the darkness at 7-8AM. One has to visit Russia in the
winter to appreciate the struggle the Russians go through just to conduct daily
living. It makes for a hardy and tough race. During the morning we visited the
old town, the most powerful fortress in northwestern Russia. These walls
successfully held out the Polish army of Stephan Bathory for over a year in the
1580's. The towers are typically round with conical tent hats. The cathedral of
the Trinity inside the old fortifications is functioning and a service was in
progress during our visit.
After driving around the city, we drove west to the Pskovian frontier fortress
at Izborsk. The ruin lies on a high bluff amid the modest cottages of modern
collective farmers and artisans. It houses a small, but interesting,
archeological exhibit with artifacts dating to the early iron age.
From Izborsk we drove further northwest toward Estonia to the fairy-tale
Pskovaya-Pechoriski Monastery. This was the visual highlight of the trip. Like
nearly all the monasteries in 14th - 17th century Russia, this one served also
as a powerful fortress. But among fortresses it may be unique in that it is
located around a deep depression instead of on a hill. When one approaches from
the outside one sees the typical impressive, powerful walls and towers. It is
only after passing through an entrance gate than one sees the splendor of the
golden domes and blue cupolas of the many churches, chapels, and monastic
buildings laid out in a small valley inside the encircling fortifications. The
monastery developed from a group of monks who began living in the caves in the
side of the ravine centuries before. After living at the constant cave
temperature of 41o for twenty years or so the monk's bodies adjust
so that they are preserved after death. An estimated 10,000 are buried here.
Since the monastery has remained fully functional throughout the Soviet period,
much of it, where the monks are living and praying, is off limits to outsiders.
We visited an hardware and general merchandise store in the town near Pechora
Monastery. What a pathetic sight. The hopeful shoppers outnumbered the goods
for sale. I bought a few toy soldiers and some well-made toy cannon. At the
price asked (.06) I could have bought all the cannon in the store, but I
decided to leave some for the local children. We then drove back to Pskov for
some further shopping. Only the clothing stores appeared to have reasonable
quantities of goods available. During the return trip to St. Petersburg along
the main highway we passed more gas stations apparently without fuel supplies.
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10 December:
We visited the Hermitage and were taken by a curator on a special tour through
non-public areas. The collection of military standards and flags is amazing,
but leaves one wondering how such riches might be put to some use. Right now
they are standing in silent rows in darkened vaults.
The more one explores behind the magnificent facade of the palaces and other
buildings along the Neva and many canals the more one sees the ravages of the
climate, swampy terrain, and financial shortages at work. St. Petersburg is
suffering from the same kind of architectural collapse one reads about with
respect to Venice.
The evening was spent at a Russian's apartment among a group of military
historians, photographers, computer specialists etc. They are anxious to
produce books that will sell in the West, but have no idea about the realities
of publishing and book distribution in a capitalist economy. Book production is
one of the industries most distorted under the Communist state, in which the
authorities decided what should be read and provided it at hugely subsidized
prices. A system in which the consumer is king instead of the producer is
difficult for some Russians to grasp as yet. No doubt the materials for many
excellent, interesting, and educational books are here. The question is how to
get it to the reading public at a price that will not only encourage the reader
to buy but also provide a profit incentive for the book sellers and
distributors to handle the products. That book stores take 45% of the sale
price of books just to handle them, seems inconceivable to my Russian
acquaintances.
The discussion lasted long over-time resulting in a rush back to the hotel by
rickety taxi. The hosts had a extra sumptuous banquet prepared, complete with
the many rounds of toasts. This was followed by a hectic rush to check out of
the hotel and make the midnight train to Moscow. All appeared to go well, as I
was bundled into the sleeper compartment along with my heavy luggage.
It was only on the next morning (11 Dec.) as I prepared to meet the reception
party in Moscow, that I discovered that I had left my passport at the requiored
reception desk, at the hotel in St. Petersburg. What a disaster. Without a
passport one cannot even check into a hotel in Russia. The result was that I
had to hole up at the ASK tour office all day and skip the nap I so badly
wanted prior to boarding the Lufthansa flight at 6AM on the 12th. I was
thinking up all sorts of schemes to pay someone to courier the passport to the
airport in St. Petersburg and by air to Moscow. However, my wonderful guide in
St. Petersburg merely picked up the passport himself, rode the train all day to
Moscow, delivered the precious document to me personally at 9PM, and then
turned around to ride the train all night back to St. Petersburg. He would not
accept a penny for his trouble.
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11 December:
The day was spent at ASK tours for the reason mentioned above. The three
colonels from the Frunze Academy duly showed up to describe the planning they
had made for the July trip as a result of our previous meeting. Someone told
them why I looked so disheveled. They thought it was hilarious and promised not
to report me to the KGB. They had prepared a lot of excellent ideas to make the
tour exceptional. Then I was completely stunned by their expression of
eagerness to contribute to the military history magazine I (occasionally)
publish. They presented me with a copy of their, much superior, history
journal. We now hope to produce an English language version for sales in the
United States and Great Britain.
Lunch at the Sofia restaurant was again superior. I wonder what the Russians
think about standing in the cold and being refused admittance to their own
restaurants while foreigners are ceremoniously ushered right in.
There was time in the early evening for a brief shopping trip to the Arbat.
After that we drove around the city, went through the Novodivechi Convent
grounds and wound up with a brief tour of the Kremlin Cathedrals. Shopping
showed that books in the government stores cost about 10-25% of the cost in a
new, private enterprise bookstore, but even there they are a bargain compared
to the US.
One of my close friends, Dr. Bryan Fugate, author of an important book on
Operation Barbarossa, arrived in Russia on the 11th to begin new research for a
second edition of his book. By prior arrangement I met him and his host, Dr.
Lev Dvoretsky, at a very fancy restaurant at 1900. Apparently some kind soul
recommended this place to Fugate, while he was in the US. When he invited the
Russians to dinner, they thought he knew where he was taking them. We had a
very enjoyable dinner, but the quantity and quality of the food was not as good
as at several of the ordinary Russian restaurants my hosts had shown me. Well,
the bill for five people came to $345.00. Fugate and I were stunned and the
Russians noticed the shock. When they realized Fugate had not known the nature
of the restaurant, they apologized profusely and said that, had they known,
they would have taken him to a good quality but normal place. This just shows
the situation that is prevalent in Russia with the dual internal and Western
price structure. Taxicabs allowed to pick up western passengers at a hotel
charge $10.00 for a trip costing a Russian under .50. Another example, when I
arrived at St. Petersburg train station from Moscow, my hosts chided me for
tipping too much when I gave the porter 5 rubles ( ie. .05 cents). But when I
returned to Moscow, I made the mistake of speaking too loudly in English with
my reception party. The result was that the porter insisted on payment of
$2.00.
The discussion at dinner with Dr. Dvoretsky centered on the Russian economy and
its future prospects. He emphasized that the greatest problem and shortcoming
is the lack of capital to fund the many bright, new, entrepreneurial
activities. Considering that under capitalization is one of the chief causes of
failure of small business in the US, I think he has a good point. In addition
we agreed that the age-old, and still endemic, atmosphere of VLAST, ie power,
for its own sake would inhibit the development of a truly free market. We also
noted that under the Soviet regime ideas of efficiency resulted in production
of many goods for the entire USSR being concentrated in one or a few factories
in one republic. In this situation merely converting such production facilities
into private hands would only create private monopolies that will be bound to
exercise all the advantages they can get from monopolistic exploitation. Dr.
Dvoretsky agreed that the distribution system, especially for food, was
organized under communism purposely to enable people to have positions of
power. But creating an entirely new food distribution system consistent with
free markets will be a tremendously complex undertaking.
It being too late to go to the hotel, where a room was already paid for, I
visited my host's tiny apartment and had a brief nap until we started for the
airport at 3AM.
This report contains only the highlights of my recollections from a marvelous
but exhausting ten days in Russia. It cannot convey the depth of friendship my
Russian hosts displayed throughout. The Russians have shown they are prepared
to do everything possible to show their country and tell their history to
Americans. Now it is up to me to convince some Americans that they ought to go
and see for themselves.
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