Joseph E. Davies (1876–1958)

I inherited this book in my mother's library. When I first decided to read it, I thought it was a spy novel from the title. It's not. It's a diary kept by the author, the USA's Ambassador to Russia (USSR—Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) from 1936 to 1938. This was just when the insane terrorist, Hitler, was ramping up to take over the world. The book was first published in October 1941, just a few months before the attack on Pearl Harbor—which finally prompted the USA to join the war raging across Europe since 1939. In 1941, my mother was 14 years old. I can imagine she was terrified at the prospect of war along with the rest of the country. In hindsight, I found Mission To Moscow a little boring. It mainly sheds light on the state of the USSR before the war after Stalin took over. However, it also gives an exciting account of a foreign ambassador's job. I always wondered what they did besides go to lunches and dinners. It turns out they do a lot more than that.… (mehr)