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in Soviet/American the use of information as a
relations, the search tool of diplomacy. Both the
for, and punishment Soviets and Americans were
of, Nazi war crimi- involved in disinformation
nals. The book was campaigns and "active mea-
devoted especially sures", creating situations
to the sixtieth anni- that were counterproductive
versary of the to better relations. This
Nuremberg Trials. came to an end with the new
Ironically,
the
political thinking under
Soviet! American Gorbachev, the days of
cooperation in this Shevardnadze and Baker,
field
occurred
when the Soviets and
during the worst Americans decided to stop
days of the "evil the "active" measures against
empire" mentality each other. This book traces
but the bringing to how such disinformation
justice of Nazi cri- campaigns were disconti-
minals marked a nued. I would not go so far
positive trend for as to say that they have
improvement in ended forever, but ultimately
bilateral relations.
work involves servicing the gives rise to the need to be they were formally pronoun-
The joint collaboration in
Office of the High inspired by projects which ced dead.
the search for Nazi war cri-
Commissioner for Human stimulate enthusiasm and
minals that fled Europe after
Rights, the Human Rights intellect. When one is fuel- Q: Are your books only
the Second World War to the
Council, the Universal led to accomplish something, in Russian?
Periodic Review, etc. then time and energy flow United States and other
countries was carried out
more intensely at the wor- The first book was written in
under the auspices of the
Q: You have plenty to king place and make it possi- Russian and later translated
do, and at the same ble to achieve necessary USSR Foreign Ministry and into Chinese. The second
the US State Department as
time you have written a results in the work program- book is only in Russian.
well as the Attorney General
book. How do you me of the Division.
in Moscow and the
manage to do all that? Q: Would you like to see
Q: Could you tell us Department of Justice's books translated into
Special
of
Office
This is the third book that I something about your English?
Investigations
in
have written. Before I took first and second books
Washington.
up my position here, my before we talk about the I have not given too much
knowledge about conference third one. thought to this! I preferred
services (word limits, RB The second book is about to move quickly to a new
and XB meetings, rules on One cannot simply write and
documentation) was confi- publish what he or she likes
ned to my experiences in the when working at the United
Office of the Secretary- Nations. So if you want to
General. Once in Geneva, I write you have two choices:
had to quickly master new either to stick to fiction or
technical issues which write about something/any-
represented a sea-change thing other than about the
from the highly political and United Nations -- like
substantive environment of Bollywood, or biographies,
the 38th floor. My new job or history. In addition, prior
proved to be down-to-earth authorization has to be
where one is guided by reso- sought and granted by the
lutions and financial autho- Administration of the
rity established by the Organization.
General Assembly. Actually
it would be possible to beco- The first book was written in
me very frustrated when partnership with a long-term
Member States' demands are friend, Alexander Onya, with
not always matched by their whom I worked in
own approval of all the Washington and Moscow. We
necessary resources.
So, decided to write about expe-
naturally, this situation often riences from our previous
diplomatic life -- an episode
8 1 2011 Diva

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