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United States
Office of the Director
Information
Agency
Washington, D.C. 20547
USIA
January 25, 1985
Mr. Leonid M. Zamyatin
Chief, International Information Department
Central Committee, Communist Party of The Soviet Union
Staraya Ploshchad' 4
Moscow, USSR
Dear Mr. Zamyatin:
In recent months Soviet media have levied a number of attacks on U.S. public
diplomacy and the U.S. Information Agency, especially on the Voice of America
and our new WORLDNET satellite television service. Your article in
Literaturnaya Gazeta ["Impasses of Confrontations and Horizons of
Cooperation," November 28, 1984] summarizes most of the charges and typifies
the underlying mindset. I am prompted to respond at this time to the
continuing stream of attacks because in a period when our two governments are
engaged in serious exploration of vital issues, such attacks are a disservice
to more positive relations.
My hope is to generate a constructive dialogue. TO initiate that dialogue I
extend two concrete offers. First, I ask that you offer your good offices to
facilitate using broadcast media to further mutual understanding. In this
regard, I suggest that you arrange for Soviet television to carry an address
by one of our top leaders which would be reciprocated on American television
by one of your top leaders. There is a precedent for this: Mr. Brezhnev and
Mr. Nixon made such speeches several years ago with considerable positive
effect.
Second, I propose that we carry further the dialogue by having you and other
Soviet officials and journalists take part in the WORLDNET program of which
you are so critical. Let us jointly plan a one- to two-hour satellite
television dialogue on WORLDNET in which Soviet journalists interview senior
U.S. officials on issues of mutual concern. At the same time, you should plan
with U.S. media a similar program in which American journalists freely and
spontaneously question senior Soviet officials. Coming at this important time
in our relations, such ventures could help make communication more reasoned
and reciprocal.
Incidentally, I am not surprised by your unwarranted criticisms of WORLDNET
and of our Agency. I have come to expect it. However, you should understand
that our country does not claim, as you do, that opposing ideas "subvert" our
system. We recognize instead that diversity of public opinion is one of the
great strengths of America. Thus, our society freely permits Soviet spokesmen
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"ocrText": "United States\nOffice of the Director\nInformation\nAgency\nWashington, D.C. 20547\nUSIA\nJanuary 25, 1985\nMr. Leonid M. Zamyatin\nChief, International Information Department\nCentral Committee, Communist Party of The Soviet Union\nStaraya Ploshchad' 4\nMoscow, USSR\nDear Mr. Zamyatin:\nIn recent months Soviet media have levied a number of attacks on U.S. public\ndiplomacy and the U.S. Information Agency, especially on the Voice of America\nand our new WORLDNET satellite television service. Your article in\nLiteraturnaya Gazeta [\"Impasses of Confrontations and Horizons of\nCooperation,\" November 28, 1984] summarizes most of the charges and typifies\nthe underlying mindset. I am prompted to respond at this time to the\ncontinuing stream of attacks because in a period when our two governments are\nengaged in serious exploration of vital issues, such attacks are a disservice\nto more positive relations.\nMy hope is to generate a constructive dialogue. TO initiate that dialogue I\nextend two concrete offers. First, I ask that you offer your good offices to\nfacilitate using broadcast media to further mutual understanding. In this\nregard, I suggest that you arrange for Soviet television to carry an address\nby one of our top leaders which would be reciprocated on American television\nby one of your top leaders. There is a precedent for this: Mr. Brezhnev and\nMr. Nixon made such speeches several years ago with considerable positive\neffect.\nSecond, I propose that we carry further the dialogue by having you and other\nSoviet officials and journalists take part in the WORLDNET program of which\nyou are so critical. Let us jointly plan a one- to two-hour satellite\ntelevision dialogue on WORLDNET in which Soviet journalists interview senior\nU.S. officials on issues of mutual concern. At the same time, you should plan\nwith U.S. media a similar program in which American journalists freely and\nspontaneously question senior Soviet officials. Coming at this important time\nin our relations, such ventures could help make communication more reasoned\nand reciprocal.\nIncidentally, I am not surprised by your unwarranted criticisms of WORLDNET\nand of our Agency. I have come to expect it. However, you should understand\nthat our country does not claim, as you do, that opposing ideas \"subvert\" our\nsystem. We recognize instead that diversity of public opinion is one of the\ngreat strengths of America. Thus, our society freely permits Soviet spokesmen"
}