Remembering War: A U.S.-Soviet Dialogue.

Abstract

At a time when 40% of Americans have forgotten that the U.S. and the Soviet Union were allies during World War II, Remembering War comes as a timely and evocative reminder of that critical alliance. Here are juxtaposed the voices of Soviet and American citizens, some famous (Elliott Roosevelt, Gheorghi Arbatov), many unknown, recalling in vivid detail what life was like during the war years. Their stories, supplemented by dozens of rare photographs from Soviet and American archives, draw a vibrant portrait of both the battlefronts and the homefronts, illuminating the war's complex legacy in the relations between our two countries. Inspired by a U.S.-Soviet television exchange, Remembering War offers an unprecedented dialogue among Soviets and Americans, who present recollections of both shared and contrasting experiences, of mutual respect and distrust. A Soviet woman recalls how she and other teenage girls formed their own combat unit, and an American woman pilot tells of ferrying fighter planes to the Soviet air force. Civilians present the sharp contrasts between the two home fronts, and soldiers from both armies remember the famous meeting on the Elbe. Numerous striking photographs capture the drama and poignancy of these moments. These voices and images remind us that only a few years before McCarthyism, Russian War Relief was the most popular charity in America, and the Red Army marched with American supplies. The book also captures the bitter reality of war and the tensions between the two allies. Soviets such as writer Grigory Baklanov voice deep resentment at long delays in the allied invasion of France, and Americans detail and criticize Moscow's secrecy and paranoia. For the first time, Soviets discuss Stalin's actions, the secret protocols of the Soviet-Nazi pact of 1939, and other controversial aspects of their involvement in the war. Many of the photos offer chilling testimony to the horrors of the war, matched by bleak accounts from the survivors of Stalingrad. In Remembering War, Soviet commentator Vladimir Pozner and American producer and professor Helene Keyssar (key figures in the television exchange) have produced a truly remarkable book, a unique reminder of the stark contrasts and forgotten unity in our wartime experiences. Published simultaneously in the U.S. and the Soviet Union, it offers a powerful exploration of the war's legacy and a testament to a renewed spirit of cooperation.