Perceptions of Moscow in the Media
Prior to 1968, the level of contact between citizens of the United States and the Soviet Union was fairly low. A significant reason for this was, unsurprisingly, that commercial flights between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. did not exist. Only after a decade of tense negotiations did Aeroflot and Pan Am begin such flights, the result of which was the initiation of a new era of cultural exchange between the two countries. Similar to the other facets of this exhibit, this issue of LIFE Magazine – published on July 26, 1968 – offers an American perspective of this new beginning.
As is evident from the article, the competition at the heart of the Cold War was played out, only this time in the world of commercial flight. For the first flights from Moscow to New York, the U.S.S.R. selected two of its most highly awarded pilots, as well as what one American reporter remarked were the "most efficient Aeroflot stewardesses" (LIFE, 22). In a similar vain, when the plane into New York was forced to circle the city before landing, the pilot, Boris Yegeroc, commented that "in Moscow everything is on time" (24). As a whole, despite the seeming friendliness that arose as a result of this new exchange of citizens, one fact remained: "the Soviets ... set out to compete all over the world, matching the best that Americans and Europeans [had] to offer" (25).
That being said, despite the fact that, when commercial travel became possible between the U.S. and U.S.S.R., the Cold Was was very much still raging, other Western tourists to Moscow presented slightly warmer images of their travels. Writing for Maclean's Magazine, one Canadian reporter, Ian Sclanders, instructed readers to "forget those tales of compulsory guides and secret police" when embarking on a journey to the Soviet Union (Maclean's, 14). Although his trip began with flight officials instructing passengers not to take any photos from the plane, its overall tone was far looser than expected. He envisioned that, throughout his stay in the Soviet Union, he would "constantly be running a gauntlet of red tape" (14). In reality, tourists were, more or less, able to wander the city freely and do as they wish.
In certain situations, ranging from attending shows at the famed Bolshoi Theatre to visiting Lenin's tomb in Red Square, tourists were even given priority access and allowed to avoid long waits. This highlights the fact that, contrary to the often secretive vail that shrouds the Soviet Union during this time, tourism was encouraged and desired by most. Similar to the mentalities of those operating Aeroflot flights from Moscow, many Soviet tourism officials merely wanted to show off their country to those in the West, many of whom perceived it only through stereotypes. These Westerners, such as Sclanders, expected to find nothing but propaganda and restrictions upon entering the communist country, but in reality, they found an environment friendly to tourists similar to any Western country.
These nuaces of travel to Moscow are similarly illustrated in a children's book written by American author Kay Thompson in 1959, titled Eloise in Moscow. This book, though targeted at a young audience, conveys many of the same stereotypes that older travelers relied on when entering this unknown country. At one point, Eloise comments that "they stand in line for everything in Moscow" and that "there are absolutely nothing but tombs" (Eloise in Moscow). In a similar light, she observes that "everybody watches everybody in Moscow," highlighting the American mentality of the Soviet Union as a highly secretive, security-centric state of spies (Eloise in Moscow).
However, though Eloise's perspective on Moscow does, in some ways, rely on these stereotypes, she also admires much of the beauty of the city that Soviet officials sought to promote through tourism. She remarks that "the Moscow metro is spacious and its magnificent decorations add to sensation of airy space," as well as that the metro is "absolutely clean and looks like a bank" (Eloise in Moscow). Though some Russians, she says, were skeptical of her and gave strange looks, many were glad to see them and eager to host Americans in their city, which had been closed off from certain parts of the world for so long. Similar to sources previously touched upon, this book presents a more nuanced, complex image of tourism in Moscow, one which demonstrates exactly why the U.S.S.R. allowed people to visit in the first place.
Not only this, but many of the sites visited by Eloise represent those which the state's tourism services most strongly promoted. Photos of these sites can be found below.
