I am remembering once again today our 1987 trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg with the late Governor Mario Cuomo. I had gone to Moscow a few days early to advance the Governors visit together with Fredrica Fritzy Goodman, who was then Director of the Office of Special Projects and Protocol for the State of New York. This allowed me to spend some free time having more than a few vodkas late at night with old acquaintances of mine from my earlier years as a graduate language student and businessman in Moscow from the late 1960s and 1970s. My most memorable moment from the Governors trip occurred on one of our last mornings in Moscow, as our delegation descended in the hotel elevator, and the Governor was aware that I had spent a late night out with friends. Governor Cuomo looked at me and said John, I know you work for either the CIA or the KGB, but I havent figured out which yet. Here are some more photos of that trip, starting with Fritzy and I advancing the Governors trip to the Danilov Monastery in Moscow, the Governor preparing to lay a wreath at the St. Petersburg Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and touring historic sights in St. Petersburg. Finally I include the very kind letter that Governor Cuomo sent to Former Ambassador Robert White, who was the President of the International Center for Development Policy, which organization sponsored the Governors trip to Russia.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 16:06:11 +0000
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