Rutskoy, the Space Joke, and the Management of Boris Yeltsin
A working dinner in Vancouver was kept secret for decades, masking a strategic preference for Russian autocracy behind a veneer of first-name chemistry.
By Vera Kessler ·
Diplomacy
Yin Yubiao and the 1998 Blockade of American Climate Experts
The U.S. tried to cut through the red tape in Beijing to reach technical experts, but a single director-general ensured the diplomats kept the scientists in the dark.
By Marcus Boone ·
Yumashev and the Predetermined Presidency of Vladimir Putin
A 1999 cable, summarized in an archival finding aid, captures the moment the Kremlin began coaching the U.S. on the managed ascent of a former intelligence officer.
By Marcus Boone ·
An Emirati Official and the 1995 Warning to Halt Sanctions on Iran
Kept secret for decades, a 1995 cable captures the moment a regional ally warned Washington that pushing the Iranian regime too hard would trigger a permanent resolve to resist.
By Constance Bell ·
Zbigniew Brzezinski, Ambassador Kim, and the 1980 Hangman’s Clock in Seoul
Kept confidential for decades, a 1980 transcript reveals Washington warning Seoul against a political execution while a lame-duck White House ran out of time.
By Roy Castellano ·
Habibie and the 1999 Scheme to Carve Up East Timor
A February telegram shows the Indonesian military and diplomats fighting to keep a slice of East Timor, a plan kept from the public while the region burned.
By Desmond Okafor ·
William Perry and the Redacted Terms for a Nuclear Peace
Half of a 1999 diplomatic script remains blacked out, hiding the exact price the U.S. was willing to pay to stop North Korea's nuclear program.
By Roy Castellano ·
Thomas Pickering and the 1999 Decision to Use a Chinese Treaty
Confidential for years, a 1999 meeting shows the US adopting a Chinese-written treaty to handle Pyongyang while the real discussion on Taiwan remained off the record.
By Roy Castellano ·
Anatoly Dobrynin and the 1986 Silence on Space Weapons
Marked Secret/Sensitive for decades, the farewell meeting of a twenty-four-year diplomatic fixture reveals a Soviet strategy of disciplined ignorance toward U.S. peace offers.
By Roy Castellano ·
Kim Dae Jung sought to end 50 years of fear before 2000 summit
Marked confidential and blurred by redactions, this record tracks the fragile calculations used to bridge a divided peninsula and reunite families torn apart by war.
By Marcus Boone ·
Kim Jong Il promised Albright a "first and last" satellite launch
The North Korean dictator admitted his economy was in ruins and promised an end to satellite launches in a December 2000 exchange that remained hidden for years.
By Eleanor Voss ·
Braithwaite warned Bill Clinton that Boris Yeltsin was an autocratic bully
A decade of diplomacy rested on the whims of Boris Yeltsin, despite a secret warning that the "democratic reformer" was actually a bullying, impetuous autocrat.
By Vera Kessler ·
African Presidents and Communists Demand US Nuclear Forces Leave South Korea
American nuclear forces and technical patents were targeted by African presidents and communists in Brussels seeking to choke Seoul's industrial capacity.
By Vera Kessler ·
Arkhipov buries nuclear plant and 40 percent debt failure
North Korean officials missed 40 percent in repayments while both sides suppressed sensitive technology talks to preserve their monolithic unity.
By Roy Castellano ·
Wang Bingnan Predicts US 'Soft Approaches' to Free Prisoners
US prisoners held in China were the target of tactical 'soft approaches' at a 1955 dinner, while the contents of a mysterious 'Agenda II' remain blacked out.
By Vera Kessler ·
Mao Zedong proposes 20-mile buffer zone to end Korean fighting
Li Kenong was secretly dispatched to Kaesong to lead negotiations as Mao feared neutral observers would monitor Chinese military transport on the border and in Korea.
By Vera Kessler ·