Dobrynin Tells Chilling Story Of the Cold War In Confidence

As ambassador of the Soviet Union to the United States from 1962 to 1986, Anatoly Dobrynin was the key link between Washington and Moscow under six American presidents. With power and sincerity, Dobrynin tells the story of the Cold War from this unique perspective in his autobiographical book In Confidence.

The book is cleverly crafted to convey a sense of respect for both sides of the Cold War while hinting at the senselessness of the entire conflict. Written by a true diplomat, the book makes as few judgments as possible but rather gives a comprehensive account of the two unyielding superpowers entangled in a complex web of deception and power.

Reading his book is like listening to an old Russian folk tale. There is humor, there is misunderstanding, and the Russians are never wrong. In truth, Dobrynin neither over-simplifies the story nor bogs the narrative down with too much information. Instead, he produces an in-depth analysis of the unpredictable and often uncertain times he lived in.

The striking characteristic of the book is the confidence with which Dobrynin writes it. He offers a first-hand account of the pitfalls and the triumphs of U.S.-Soviet relations in the course of three decades. As Russian ambassador, he had the opportunity to work with and probe the minds of both Soviet and American leaders.

Working at the highest levels of the Soviet government before his appointment as ambassador, Dobrynin had exposure to many of the Kremlin's murkier minds, like Khrushchev and Brezhev. His clear discussion of their decisions and their ways of handling power yields an insight that could only have come from experience.

Surprisingly, despite being ambassador to the Soviet Union during a volatile period in US-Soviet relations, Dobrynin managed to make many friends in Washington. His sociable character and cooperative attitude show clearly in his writing as well. Like a psychologist, though with less gravity, he describes the personality of a person before he begins to talk about his policies and decisions. He never misses the opportunity to include a few humorous anecdotes that help illustrate his point.

Dobrynin was successful at conflating a pro-American personal inclination with the policies of the Soviets. When Ronald Reagan was told that Dobrynin had been promoted to the rank of Secretary of the International Relations Department of the Communist Party and would not be returning as an ambassador, he asked, amazed: "Is he really a communist?" The effective blurring of Dobrynin's official position on matters and his own character keeps the reader perpetually guessing at whose side he was really on all that time. In the person of Dobrynin, yet another thread is added to the already complex fabric of Soviet-American relations during the Cold War.

Despite his many noteworthy accomplishments, Dobrynin offers little self-praise in the book but he says nothing in the form of self-criticism either. At times this attitude of reporting his own actions without judging them calls into question his credibility--the reader is left wondering why he refuses to engage. While Dobrynin contributes necessary information to the story of the Cold War, In Confidence is not the book which sets the story straight.

Though a bit lengthy at a hefty 639 pages, In Confidence is well worth the energy. The perspective of a diplomat, standing at the intersection of the two superpowers at the time of greatest tension between them, is unlike that given in any other book on the subject.