Prior to the Moscow trip we spent almost 3 months commuting to DC to brief all of the politicians (and there were many) who thought they should be involved in this endeavor. I thought I should start by giving my West Point classmate, Bob Kimmitt, a head’s up as he was an Under Secretary of State at that time. I obtained an appointment and after passing a platoon of administrative assistants, was directed to Bob’s 7th floor office. The office was so big I had to have a ground guide to help me find his desk at the other end of the room. The desk was so big it looked like a small aircraft carrier. Confirmation that I was now firmly in the world of politicians (forgive me, Bob).
In addition to the many Senators and House members we also had to visit the White House and brief Brent Scowcroft, Bush 1 National Security advisor. Most of you may know that Scowcroft was a ‘47 USMA grad (the year most of us were born). Unlike most of the folks we encountered in DC he was a complete gentleman.
Red Square
Our hotel (The Metropol) was an old Czarist era hotel now managed by a Swiss company. It was located at one end of Red Square. As the sun set very late in July, we would take a walk each night after the long incarceration in cigarette smoke and vodka-filled rooms to try and clear our heads. Each night the square was now filled with average Russians (denied access under the communist regime) who, upon hearing our English language conversations, approached us to happily practice their English and see real “Americans”. Each night there was construction activity at the end of Red Square by St. Basil’s Cathedral. It looked like they were setting up a temporary stage for some sort of live entertainment. Every night was further progress. We asked the Russian people that stopped to talk to us what the stage was for. They exclaimed that this was really an exciting event-the first ever non-military event ever in Red Square. It was a stage for a week-long show including the Russian Ballet, the symphony and several Russian Rock bands. We continued to ask the purpose of the show and they finally revealed that it was to celebrate the birth of the United States!
So, we had to get our heads around the fact that the first non-military event in Red Square was a July Forth celebration for the United States. Did I mention surreal?
Moscow River
The President of the Russian Academy of Science (E.P. Velikhov) decided to take us all to his summer dacha on the Moscow River. The area was a secure area where the former Soviet Union apparatchik had large multiple summer houses in an enclosed compound area. The entire compound was surrounded by a 12-foot-high green fence with camouflaged guard houses and machine gun nests strategically sited. All of the houses had now been taken over by the Yeltsin government. Yeltsin’s summer house was about ½ mile from the house we visited. The house we visited was over 100 years old (think Dr. Zhivago) and had never been painted. I guessed around 10 thousand square feet. The communists had added a separate brick private theater, seating about 80-100. They also added a full-size indoor Olympic pool. All of these areas were in an incredibly poor state of repair.
Pound the Table
We spent the entire week in conference rooms negotiating the most trivial points. It was an exercise in stamina and patience. We met in multiple conference rooms which were all very large with enormous conference tables. Our team was 7 people, and they always had a group of 20-30. We were stuck on some point late one afternoon waiting to meet with Yeltsin to give him a progress report (or lack thereof) when one of their people started pounding on the table with his shoe! He must have been a protégé of Khrushchev! We were so shocked that we completely lost the point under discussion!
Private Jet Flight
As part of our welcome, we were flown from a small airport outside Moscow to the city of Ekaterinburg, which contained a facility for manufacturing nuclear weapons.
The Flight from Moscow (airportia.com)
Being a former pilot, I was skeptical of our aircraft. It was a YAK executive jet (I use the term loosely). About the size of a large Gulfstream. By our standards it would normally hold about 10 passengers. This one was rigged with about 30 tubular aluminum seats (think lawn chairs) and looked like it was 30 years old. To my surprise, it actually took off. I received permission from our FSB (former KGB) handlers to go up and talk to the pilots. Two burly guys seating in a cockpit that looked like something from the Wright Brothers era. They only had one headset that they swapped back and forth depending on who was manning the radios. No evidence of any checklists or emergency manuals. There was one strip of toilet paper stuck on a radio knob. The toilet paper had the enroute radio frequencies written on it. This was significant as this was the only toilet paper we saw on this overnight trip. We stayed in another communist big wig compound but there was no hot water or toilet paper. We used the Russian equivalent of a Sears catalogue.
American Embassy
The American Embassy and the Ambassador (Robert Strauss) had been informed of our visit, so we were invited to the embassy open house on July 4th. We were excited to go but could not get in as there was a line of Russians about 3 blocks long to get in, such was the euphoria over the new relationship.
Arbat Pedestrian Street
One night after the interminable meetings, we went with our American interpreter to a restaurant on the Arbat pedestrian mall (in Moscow). We did not know that this restaurant was now owned by a newly emerging Oligarch/Russian Mafia type. Our American (Russian-born) interrupter had a bit to drink and started to criticize some of the wall art. When we left and were walking to our cars, the restaurant owner sent 3 guys to intercept us and to demand that our interrupter go back and apologize for his rude comments. They had handguns in their belts. We had to insist that our interrupter go back and apologize, which he did. Once he came back and we got to our cars, he yelled at our drivers to get their weapons (Uzis in the car trunks) and follow him back to the restaurant. We were able to get him under control and calm the situation down. Not a fun time.
Allied Corporate Jet to DC
At that time Russia had no hard currency so they relied on their new “western partners” to cover expenses outside Russia. We had invited The Minister of Atomic Energy (V. N. Michaylow) and his entourage for a reciprocal visit to Allied and then on to DC to make the political rounds with their embassy. After their visit with us in NJ, I arranged for them to travel via one of our corporate jets to DC. Such was their addiction that they ignored the “No Smoking” rules on the plane and chained smoked all the way to DC. Fortunately, I could not travel with them and remained at Allied. However, my pilots called me from DC to let me know that the Russians incessant smoking clogged up the on-board air filter and it had to be cleaned before returning to Allied. My pilots also warned me that they would resign before flying any more Russians anywhere! The Russians flew back to Moscow from DC on Aeroflot.
The Metropol Hotel
We were quartered in the historic Metropol Hotel at the end of Red Square. This was a Czarist era hotel and had been completely reconditioned by a Swiss company.
As distinguished guests, the hotel General Manager spent a great deal of time with us. He was a Swiss national and worked for the Swiss company that had the management contract for the hotel. The Russians had absolutely no idea how to manage a world class hotel. The Swiss manager regaled us with tales of some of his trials and tribulations. Every day the Swiss management company had to fly in a completely loaded 747 with produce (plenty of produce in Russia but no roads or trains to transport fresh produce to Moscow), supplies of lamps, telephones, bed linen, towels, soap, shampoo etc. The Russian employees had never been exposed to such high-quality items so there was an almost daily shortage due to employee theft. They had to bring in trained Swiss/European workers to even get the restoration of the hotel completed as there were no skilled Russian trade craftsmen.
I have enjoyed many different experiences in my life, but I have to admit this was one of the most unusual and challenging in so many ways. I do not think I am alone in saying that the Russians are in fact different-for whatever reason. I am not sure that they will ever make it to the world peace table.
I really enjoyed your vignettes of your visits to Russia as they remind me so much of what I experienced in my travels there as well. I remember from an economics course I took at West Point that a country can spend their money on either “guns or butter” … and what we saw of the state of things in Russia shows that the choice they made was for guns … and it cost them dearly!
Fascinating, Scott. Not surprising, but fascinating. Thanks for writing for The Days Forward about this but consider writing a book about your experiences.
Amazing set of stories, Scott. Interesting to be part of history, especially in a foreign environment.
Fascinating Scott. Thanks again for sharing.
Your vignettes of life in the “Wild East” as Russia emerged from the depths of the Soviet Socialist Republic reminded me of a story I got from a young man I trained as a car salesman named Jeffrey Liebert.
First let me describe the unique way, Jeff found himself in the position he described to me. Jeff was a family friend and had coached his sister and my older daughter in junior basketball in when he was in High School. His mother was my wife best friend. Unfortunately his mother developed a glioblastoma and was dying of cancer. Jeff took a year off from college to be with his family and need a job, hence his time with me as a car salesman.
Jeff went on to graduate from an Ivy League school, majoring in Russian and business, and volunteered for the Peace Corps in Russia in an effort to perfect his Russian. Since no Russian openings were available, he did two years with the Peace Corps in Mongolia.
He then managed the acquisition of cashmere in Mongolia for a consortium for 4 years. At first he literally rode around Mongolia on horseback making deals with the herders. He moved into and out of China, as required, since there are no real border markings to delineate the division between the countries. He perfected his Russian and became fluent in Mongolian and some dialects of Chinese. Subsequently he hired subordinates for to do the deals with herders and decamped to Beijing to perfect his Mandarin.
Jeff came back to the States and graduated from Wharton before going to work for the World Bank for a couple of years. He was doing independent consulting and deal making while attracting the capital needed for the fund he now runs which invests in businesses in emerging Eastern European Countries when the incident he told me about occurred.
Jeff’s story found in him a nudie bar in Moscow doing a deal between an American company and what he discovered were Russian mobsters. Imagine the scene. He was sitting in a big booth with the principals. Grinding music blared from the stage. All participated in the required doffing of multiple shots of vodka. Heavily armed bodyguards flanked both sides of the booth. He told me that when he got over his initial fear and got down to brass tacks: “Pete, I was just doing another car deal.” Jeff thanked me for training him so well.
Your descriptions of Russia and those times comport very closely to Jeff’s. Now I need to find out how Jeff is doing. I haven’t been in contact with him since Russia attacked Ukraine. I seem to recall some of his investments were there.