Ex-Reagan Aide Massie To Put Presidential Correspondence Up For Auction - Representative

Ex-Reagan Aide Massie to Put Presidential Correspondence Up for Auction - Representative

US writer and scholar on Russia, Suzanne Massie, who was an adviser to President Ronald Reagan, will put up for auction her unique historical archive, Massie's representative in Russia and a manager of the International Diplomatic Club Balthasar Schaldenbrand told Sputnik

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th September, 2022) US writer and scholar on Russia, Suzanne Massie, who was an adviser to President Ronald Reagan, will put up for auction her unique historical archive, Massie's representative in Russia and a manager of the International Diplomatic Club Balthasar Schaldenbrand told Sputnik.

"In addition to 14 personal letters from the former President Ronald Reagan, the collection includes Massie's correspondence with former President Bill Clinton, ex-Vice President Al Gore and other leading figures of the 20th century in politics, ballet, art, non-profit organizations and literature, including such international luminaries as Alexander Solzhenitsyn and George Balanchine," Schaldenbrand revealed.

Along with extensive correspondence and photographs, the materials in Massie's archive also include the research and original manuscripts for her five published books, including "Trust But Verify: Reagan, Russia and Me" (2013), her report on years when she advised President Reagan, and three extremely successful books about the history and culture of Russia: "Land of the Firebird: The Beauty of Old Russia" (1982), "Pavlovsk: The Life of a Russian Palace" (1999) and "Living Mirror: Five young poets from Leningrad" (1972).

"I have always believed that America needs Russia, and Russia needs America, and that we could do a lot if found a way to get along together," Massie said ahead of the auction, organized by the International Diplomatic Club. "It has always been purpose of my work and career. To continue to strengthen the understanding to which I dedicated my life, this unique and historically important archival collection must be available to researchers in Russia, the United States and around the world."

The closed auction will take place at the International Diplomatic Club in Moscow.

"The condition of the sale is the permanent placement of the collection in Presidential library in St. Petersburg, Russia," Schaldenbrand said.

Massie advised Reagan on Russia from 1984-1988 and played a significant role in the final years of the Cold War. She taught the president a Russian proverb, "trust, but verify," which he famously used during nuclear disarmament talks with the Soviet Union.

Massie is fluent in Russian and has written numerous books on Russian history and culture.