How high guests were received in the USSR

Diplomacy as a whole and diplomatic visits in particular is the most important tool for the formation of foreign policy, constructing international relations. Much depends on the quality of reception and compliance or non -compliance with the protocol: whether it will be possible to win the location of the desired allies, set them up on the conditions favorable to the country and even show off to opponents. From ancient times, Russia is famous for its generosity and has a rich tradition of diplomatic meetings and receptions of foreign guests at the highest level. This heritage, having passed through the centuries, could not but affect the customs of Soviet times. Nevertheless, the insufficient knowledge of the Soviet diplomatic protocol could still distort knowledge of not so long ago past era. And here the work of O.Yu. Zakharova reveals the curtain: he will unveil archival documents and photographs, for a long time formerly inaccessible to the general public. Consistently and excitingly the author traces the evolution of the Soviet diplomatic protocol from the beginning of the 20s to the mid -80s. The book flogs the pages of diaries, letters and memoirs of heads of state and governments, party and public figures, Soviet and foreign diplomats. The famous names of people who visited Soviet Russia and the USSR are again heard on an official visit: Amanullykhan, I. von Ribbentrop, W. Churchill, Sh. De Gaulle, I.B. Tito, Mao Zedong, I. Gandhi, G.A. Nasera, R. Nixon, F. Castro Rus and many others. Lists of gifts to members of delegations and response gifts are replaced by the menu of official techniques in the Kremlin and in the mansion of the USSR Foreign Ministry. Programs of stay in Moscow, capitals and cities of the Union republics, schemes of meetings and wires ... History comes to life, the atmosphere of the era returns, albeit for short moments. The diplomatic protocol is changing, but always remains part of the state ceremonial culture, supporting the image and prestige of the authorities