Although I have read widely and studied Russian history for most of my adult life, I had never come across this somewhat forgotten interlude – and what a fascinating story it is, the story of how the American Relief Administration, under the auspices of the US Government, fed millions of starving Russians in the crisis facing the country after the Revolution and Civil War. Over 300 volunteers went to save as many lives as they could, sometimes sacrificing their own to do so. It’s a harrowing and heart-breaking tale of famine, death and devastation accompanied by some equally harrowing and heart-breaking photographs. A compelling narrative, excellently told and of absorbing interest.

I began studying Russia two decades ago because I loved the beautiful things that came from Russia-- literature, music, art, ballet, and even science. But you can't study these things out of context, so I know more than I'd like to about war, corruption, poverty, and famine. I knew about the famines of 1921-22 as they affected political and cultural events in the early years of the USSR. I knew that from their earliest days in power, Lenin and Stalin used hunger as a weapon, strategically starving certain populations. I even knew the multiple words for cannibalism in Russian, which exist to make the moral distinction between eating a corpse and murdering someone for the purpose of eating them.

But I hadn't heard the American side of the aid story, which was quite amazing in itself. Starting during WWI, Herbert Hoover orchestrated massive operations to administer food and supplies, first to Belgium, then to other nations. Eventually, this organization was formalized as the ARA. When the writer Maxim Gorkiy sent out a plea for help, Hoover commissioned this small group of Americans to work with thousands of Soviet citizens, managing to bring large amounts of food, medicine, and clothing. As a narrative, the book is an excellent source of inspiration to put aside political or cultural differences to save lives in danger. As an academic source, though, the book does not offer full sources or many notes, so it won't be the greatest help to researchers (unless this can be added--I read a review galley).

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.

For two years, the ARA fed over ten million men, women, and children across a million square miles of territory in what was the largest humanitarian operation in history.

Now, almost a hundred years later, few people in America or Russia have ever heard of the ARA. The Russian Job seeks to right this wrong.

Herbert Hoover's American Relief Administration was dispatched to the Soviet Union in 1921 to stem the tide of one of the worst famines in history. Although it was a well-known operation in both countries at the time, and Lenin's Soviet government heaped praise on America for saving lives and ending the horrific consequences of famine (read: cannibalism) it's barely acknowledged now. Indeed, I'd venture a guess that even many Russophiles were mostly unaware. That's good old Soviet rewriting of history at work!

Douglas Smith writes a concise but information-packed (sometimes overly so) account of the ARA staff who carried out this work and what it actually entailed as they traveled through the impoverished Russian countryside, alongside plenty of political and social context. He also covers the workers' social lives in Russia, which highlighted some culture of the era and differences they observed between US and Soviet societies, as well as their relationships with Russian women, some of which ended better than others.

The displays of gratitude from Soviet citizens were overwhelming, and underscored how dire this situation was, like a poem presented by a committee chairman which included the line "at the edge of the grave you saved us." Amazing that this bit of history was successfully buried for so long considering the massive impact and implications it had. What might have happened if Lenin's Soviet Union was brought to its knees instead of rebounding in time for Stalin to take over? What different course might things have taken? I couldn't stop thinking about that after reading this.

Smith also follows the state of US-Soviet relations as they progressed throughout the ARA's action. It was interesting, if not totally surprising, that Lenin's government continued to scheme and manipulate behind the scenes even as the ARA fed its citizens.

ARA members weren't always angels, though. Smith puts the Americans' prejudices and social biases on blast, especially the ones around Russian peasants and the kulaks (who were soon to suffer much worse under Stalin). An official wrote that "One sometimes feels after conversation with them that they are little better than animals, and yet again they give manifestations of so much human feeling that one is inevitably led to the conclusion that given only the chance which human beings merit and which has been denied the Russians for so long, they will prove themselves." As Smith points out, "a backhanded compliment if ever there was one."

It's strange to consider how rosy the relationship between the two countries once was, knowing what we know now: that the Cold War would forever change this relationship, and what we learn here of how Lenin and Co. downplayed the ARA's achievements even as they were still working, never mind the revisionist history put in place once they'd decamped.

Smith ends with a hopeful message underscoring why this story still has relevance. He reminds of the role America has assumed in the past to support struggling nations with our own reserves, and urges that we continue: "May the story of the ARA inspire that same spirit of generosity today toward all humanity, at home and abroad."

This is the review - https://naszahistoria.pl/misja-nakarmic-miliony-jak-amerykanie-uratowali-zwiazek-sowiecki/ar/c15-14591031