Russia: The Dangerous Thing

Soviet Novelist Victor Nekrasov, 51, toured the U.S. in November 1960. and from his glowing words in the past two issues of Moscow's literary magazine Novy Mir, he must have enjoyed himself. "Honest to God, beautiful," he declared of the view of sleek skyscraper apartments along Chicago's Lake Shore Drive. There were slums and poverty in Manhattan, he reported, but what seemed to strike him was the 21-in. TV sets in every hotel room, and museums crammed with "abundant and varied" treasures.

It would have been a perfect trip, in fact, but for the ever-present security agent assigned to shepherd...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!