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project. However, in retro-
spect, the first book ought to
I
have been translated.
became convinced of this
while reading articles on the
65th anniversary of the
Nuremberg Trials last year.

Q: So tell me about your
new book.

father-in-law,
My
Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov
was at the centre of diplo-
macy both in the USSR and
the Russian Federation
during historically fascina-
ting epoch. When he passed
away Diva published his
obituary.
Ambassador Vorontsov was strive for a comprehensive why it is called "From personal views on events
an impressive and at the account of the Ambassador's Molotov to Lavrov" is and personalities of his era,
same time a very decent life. because he started work expanded with illustrations
man. His family, friends when Molotov was the and contributions of other
and colleagues encouraged Yuli Vorontsov was very Foreign Minister, and conti- diplomats. Further, it
him to write a book about good at sharing his views nued up to the time when contains many documents,
his life -- but he never did with journalists and collea- Sergei Lavrov filled this texts from different publica-
so. When he died there was gues. So, I collected practi- position. Of course, the tions that refer to
actually nothing in writing cally everything that was book covers all Ministers Ambassador Vorontsov or
except numerous press inter- available in writing and put such
as
Gromyko,
events mentioned in nume-
views and home archives. interviews all together, Shevardnadze, Kozyrev, rous interviews, never
including his personal archi- Bessmertnykh, Primakov, published before. The for-
I have a co-author, a well ves and handwritten texts. A Ivanov, etc. At the begin- mer UN Secretary-General
known Russian journalist -- well-known Russian film ning of his career, Vorontsov Kofi Annan, knew
Gagik Karapetyan. He had documentalist and friend of was an assistant to Andrey Ambassador Vorontsov well
managed to approach the Ambassador, Yuri Vyshinsky, who actually (the latter was his Special
Ambassador Vorontsov Aldokhin, whenever he met passed away just after Representative for CIS besi-
several years ago and asked with the Ambassador, put a making a speech about the des other assignments), and
him why he had never writ- camera in front of him and creation of the IAEA. The he was kind to write the pre-
ten anything about his expe- said, for instance: "Please book reveals many interes- face to the book.
riences since he had worked tell me about Afghanistan", ting experiences and unk-
under so many different and he recorded Vorontsov's nown facts as well as Q: We grew up during
foreign ministers, starting recollections. The book contains documents publis- the time of the Cold
his career in 1952. Gagik included chapters on how hed for the first time. War, a time of misun-
managed to persuade the the Ambassador was tasked Friends and colleagues, like derstanding. You are, in
Ambassador to grant him to withdraw Soviet troops the current Russian fact, showing the other
interviews during which his from Afghanistan; side of the coin. Don't
Ambassador in India,
his
days with different foreign assignment in Paris; life in Alexksandr Kadakin, First you think that "we in the
ministers were recalled. Washington; Geneva disar- Deputy Foreign Minister, West" should have
These were recorded. A cou- mament talks; his experien- Andrey Denisov, Permanent access to this informa-
ple of months before he pas- ces as the USSR and the Representative of Russia to tion?
sed away the Ambassador Russian
the United Nations, Vitaly
Federation's
showed me the manuscript Representative to the United Churkin, shared their recol- I am a child of the Cold War
prepared by Gagik and Nations, etc. The Aldokhin lections of the Ambassador. but I was lucky to study
asked me to read it. And I tapes amounted to six or "another side of the coin",
did -- that night. After seven hours of direct Q: Does the book give a working in the United States
Vorontsov's death, I called speech, and this also went new vision of contem- for 21 years, as a Soviet
Gagik and proposed to him into the book. So by the end porary Soviet/Russian diplomat from President
to write a book together in a of the day, a large part of the history? Ford to President Reagan.
slightly different manner in book is based on the perso- The period from 1975 to
order to include everything nal accounts of the First, the book captures 1986 was not the Cold War,
that had been left out and to Ambassador. The reason Ambassador Vorontsov's despite the crises and "evil

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