Diary of A Guide -- Dan Slobin

As cited in an earlier post on the White House visit by the 1959 Sokolniki guides, one of the finest accounts we have of that summer is a journal written -- and recently reconstructed in digital form -- by Dan Slobin.

Dan had an uncanny knack for capturing the voices of Russian exhibit visitors, and Russian acquaintances, in ways that still resonate today. His observations about Russia were the kind that can only come from direct conversation and interaction -- which, after all, was the human currency that made the American exhibition so compelling. He wrote with a light, wry touch. His photographs complement the text beautifully. I would encourage everyone interested in what happened at Sokolniki to read it.

One word of warning -- this is a huge file, and you will want to make sure that your computer is ready to embrace with a great bear hug a file of 80MB. You'll find it here.