In Tuesday’s Antiwar.com there was a blog post, Former Reagan Officials Denounce US-NATO War Plans. Mentioned first was Suzanne Massie, as she should have been. She worked as a behind the scenes go-between for Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.
She is a voice of reason and should be listened to.
Below is my review of her book, Trust But Verify: Reagan, Russia and me published in th June, 2014 issue of the Sturbridge Times Magazine.
The woman who ended the Cold War
Trust But Verify: Reagan, Russia and me
It was in April. I was not paying too much attention to the TV in the background. Your usual talking head show was on, or so I thought.
All of a sudden, boom, a thunderclap. Well, the closest thing to it that could come from a well spoken reserved lady. La grande dame had uttered the words,
“I happen to know Putin a little bit and I can tell you right now, he does not eat babies. He is a man of thought usually.”
Had the ground opened and swallowed the speaker, I would not have been overly shocked. The American media zeitgeist is that The Russian leader only eats babies after first robbing them. From NPR to Fox the line is the same, Russia is off the rails. To hear a different take on American Television surprises, more so to hear it on C-Span. That service is rarely a venue for contrarian views.
Suzanne Massie is a rare individual indeed. Many who make history get around to writing it after the fact, often via a ghost. Suzanne wrote it, and then made it then wrote again. Mrs. Massie did as much as anyone to end the Cold War.
The phrase, trust but verify that is so associated with Ronald Reagan, was given to him by Suzanne. It is the Slavic version of the Irish proverb, “Trust your fellow man, but always cut the cards” as a president with Hibernian roots might have known.
The Slavic form is part of the title of Suzanne’s memoir of her role in the quest for an end to the un-peace that had endured between the two superpowers from the end of the Second World War. Trust But Verify: Reagan Russia, and me recounts her travels between the Oval Office and her Russian contacts that helped both sides find some common ground.
In 1967 a compelling account of the last Russian Tsar and his family hit bookshelves. It seemed that every professor was assigning it except mine. No matter, there were enough copies around that it was not difficult to pick it up and enjoy it.
The work brought renown and and some income to the author, Robert Massie. Behind him in the project was Suzanne. He has attested to the immense value of her research and editing.
Their marriage would end and he would continue to write history. Suzanne would lead a life intimately involved with Russia and Russians. That life would also lead to books, but the story is more than authorship, it was and surely still is an odyssey.
The journey began before Nicholas and Alexandra was published. Suzanne and Robert had to see the background for the book and went to Russia in March of 1967. Reading her account of Soviet life in those days makes you feel the country was one big Registry of Motor Vehicles.
In a visit to the Pavlosk Palace, she met a “poet of Saint Petersburkh.” Through him she acquired a set of Russian friends and started to meet the country. Her appetite for Russia, its people and civilization was unstoppable. Unfortunately, visa problems got in the way. It would be more than a decade before Suzanne would be able to go back and it would be at a low point in relations between the US and the Soviet Union.
Suzanne has said, “Anyone is only two introductions away.” Well, she’s the lass who proved it. She called a senator, who called an advisor et voilà, she was meeting the president. Though arguing for cultural exchange, her time with Reagan would lead her to be someone through whom the Russians could relay messages to our government.
The result is history and a great bit of history it was. Suzanne comes off well and others do to. Her account of the 40th president is a corrective both to those who think he was a cowboy warmonger and hate him for it as well as those who love him for showing the Russkies who was boss.
Suzanne Massie’s name is not a household word and is not likely to become one, despite the value of her contributions on the world stage. That should not be a surprise. Had she been calling attention to herself, there would have been little value to her back channel efforts. Her writing on art and history, as valuable as they are, can never have a vast audience. Only readers with a passion for Russia and history nerds (c’est moi) are likely to maintain interest. This is a pity, for she is one of the few contemporary figures who deserve more than the allotted 15 minutes.
The book is worth reading, but whether or not you care to, it is worthwhile to take about an hour and watch the video of Suzanne speaking not just about her book but also the contemporary situation leading to a Neo-Cold War. She was ever gracious including toward the obstreperous former Georgian NATO ambassador.
Update: The campaign against Putin continues from our sanity deprived state department.
If you wish, the video of Suzanne Massie can be watched below.