International Political Science

two conference organizers, John Lewis Conference on Gaddis (Ohio University), and William Soviet-American Taubman (). Relations, 1945 1950 Academician S. L. Tikhvinsky, Chairman of the National Committee of Soviet His- torians, headed the Soviet delegation, William Taubman which included R. G. Bogdanov (Institute Amherst College of the USA and Canada), A. Yu. Borisov (Moscow State Institute of International Ohio University Relations), N. I. Egorova (Institute of Gen- eral History), A. M. Filitov (Institute of General History), N. S. Ivanov (Institute of In 1986 representatives of the National General History), V. L. Mal'kov (Institute Committee of Soviet Historians and the of General History), B. I. Marushkin (Insti- International Research and Exchanges tute of General History), A. I. Schapiro Board of the agreed to (Institute of World Economy and Inter- sponsor a series of conferences between national Relations), A. I. Utkin (Institute of Soviet and American historians and polit- the USA and Canada), and the Soviet con- ical scientists on Soviet-American diplo- ference organizer, A. O. Chubarian, Vice matic relations since 1945. This was the Chairman of the National Committee of first agreement ever between Soviet and Soviet Historians. American scholars to undertake a compre- The conference sessions focused on the hensive joint examination of the post- following topics, with presentation of a World War II relationship between their Soviet and an American paper on each of two countries, based on the maximum them: World War II cooperation and its possible use of archival and oral as well as legacies; postwar planning; economic re- published source materials. construction; military and diplomatic The first conference in this series, deal- strategies; nuclear weapons; crisis manage- ing with the 1945-50 period, took place in ment; Europe as an issue in Soviet- Moscow on June 16-18, 1987. Ambassador American relations; and perceptions and George F. Kennan headed the American misperceptions. delegation, which included M. Steven Fish Although the American delegation was (representing Alexander George, of Stan- most hospitably received and our discus- ford University), George Herring (Univer- sions proceeded in a thoroughly profes- sity of Kentucky), Michael J. Hogan (Ohio sional manner, it rapidly became clear that State University), David Holloway (Stan- substantial differences still remain in the ford University), Deborah Welch Larson way Soviet and American scholars treat (), Vojtech Mastny the events of the early Cold War. Despite (Boston University), Ernest R. May (Har- striking manifestations of gtosnost in other vard University), Thomas G. Paterson areas of contemporary Soviet life, we (University of Connecticut), as well as the detected no discernible tendency on the

152 PS: Political Science and Politics McCarran-Walter Act Amended part of Soviet scholars, at least in writing, to criticize any aspect of their country's diplomacy during the period in question: the Cold War remains, for them, very much a one-sided affair, with principal responsibility for it resting almost entirely with the United States and its allies. Oral discussions, particularly when these could take place on an individual basis, produced more balanced assessments, but these have yet to find their way into print. There appear to be several reasons for this: First, although there is now a consider- able amount of discussion among Soviet scholars about the need to fill in what General Secretary Gorbachev has called the "blank pages" in Soviet history, this injunction does not appear to have been extended, as of yet, to include postwar HOWARD J. SILVER foreign policy. Second, Soviet scholars still lack access to, or (for those few who have such access) the authority to cite or quote McCarran-Walter Act from, their own Foreign Ministry and other state archives for the period in ques- Amended to Remove tion. They are forced, accordingly, to rely Ideological heavily on public statements of policy made at the time, official histories of Restrictions Soviet foreign policy, and of course the Howard J. Silver very large volume of material that has Consortium of Social Science been made available from archival sources Associations (COSSA) in the United States and Great Britain. Third, Soviet scholars do not appear to have exploited, in any systematic way, the The Congress has adopted and the White use of memoirs or oral history interviews House has approved an amendment with surviving participants in the events in to the State Department Authoriza- question. (A significant memoir literature tion bill that states: "no alien may be exists, for example, in the field of Soviet denied a visa or excluded from admission nuclear weapons development.) into the United States, subject to restric- It should be emphasized, though, that tions or conditions on entry into the our Soviet colleagues were frank in United States, or subject to deportation acknowledging to us the difficulties under because of any past, current, or expected which they work; they are hopeful as well beliefs, statements or associations which, if about the possibility that, within the con- engaged in by a United States citizen in the text of reforms now taking place, condi- United States, would be protected under tions for research into post-1945 foreign the Constitution of the United States." policy issues may soon improve. This could help prevent visa problems for Five more conferences in this series are people wishing to attend the International to take place over the next five years, all Political Science Association convention in under the co-sponsorship of the Soviet Washington in 1988 and other scholarly Academy of Sciences and the International conferences in the United States. Research and Exchanges Board. The sec- Aliens could still be excluded or de- ond one, which will cover the period ported under the executive branch's 1950-55, will be held in the United States authority to protect national security and in the fall of 1988. foreign policy, except in the situations

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