19 ms·

Color Photos of Stalin-Era Soviet Union Taken by a US diplomat

235 points by Octabrain 3y ago

JoeAltmaier 3y ago
Photos: fascinating Article: dry, empty, trite, derivative. Was it written by an AI? I suspect it was.
- egometry 3y ago
  Yeah, the cadence of the article also felt AI-ey to me.
Archelaos 3y ago
At least some of the photos contain indications that they are post-Stalin-Era, ie. after 5 March 1953.
- pastacacioepepe 3y ago
  > indications such as?
  - flohofwoe 3y ago
    One of the photos shows an "Agitpunkt" with a date "Sunday, 14th-March 1954". (interestingly "Agitpunkt" sounds like a German loanword)
    - usr1106 3y ago
      Marx was German. Lenin was in German-speaking exile. Maybe that had an influence? Edit: Forgot Engels, another German.
    - Archelaos 3y ago
      Mirriam-Webster says that it is probably shortened from Russian "agitatsionnyĭ punkt", literally, "agitation center".[1] Regarding the etymology of Russian "punkt" Wikitionary tells us: "Through Polish punkt and/or German Punkt from Latin punctum."[2] [1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agitpunkt https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agitpunkt [2] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%BA%D1%82 https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%BA%D1%8...
- eesmith 3y ago
  Which agrees with how the text mentions May Day 1953 several times, including in the caption of a picture taken from the new US Embassy building, opened shortly after that May Day. The "parade in front of the former U.S. Embassy building on Manezhnaya ploshchad, Moscow" would be from the old embassy, but could still be after Stalin's death. There's also "18 Novinsky bulvar under construction in Moscow" and http://wikimapia.org/12359967/Novinsky-bulvar-18 http://wikimapia.org/12359967/Novinsky-bulvar-18 says it was constructed in 1953. FWIW, Manhoff was in Russia when Stalin died. "From a balcony with a view to the Kremlin, Major Manhoff shot the only known independent footage of Stalin’s funeral." "U.S. Army Major Martin Manhoff had been in Moscow for more than a year when on March 5, 1953, after several days of ominous reports in the Communist Party mouthpiece Pravda, Josef Stalin died." - https://www.rferl.org/a/manhoff-archive-part-one-stalins-funeral/28359561.html https://www.rferl.org/a/manhoff-archive-part-one-stalins-fun... Many of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty images are the same as those on Rare Historical Photos. That's because at the bottom of the Rare Historical Photos page you'll read "Photo credit: Courtesy of Douglas Smith, via Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty / Martin Manhoff’s Archive / Bored Panda / Pinterest". So if you want more old pictures of Moscow, and video, see the RFE/RL link too. Then go to part 3 and see places outside of Moscow - after Stalin's death, travel was easier.
liampulles 3y ago
From Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: https://www.rferl.org/a/the-manhoff-archive/28359558.html https://www.rferl.org/a/the-manhoff-archive/28359558.html Manhoff archive: https://manhoffarchive.org/ https://manhoffarchive.org/
merek 3y ago
Is anyone able to translate the left hand banner of the first image? I tried a free OCR tool but it missed most of it. https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OPV-iBDM_es/WN5R0JXjX1I/AAAAAAACn-E/Al86zrgsG7gWljAX_HpSiDj93x-oPSwmACLcB/s1600/martin-manhoff-ussr-photos-19.jpg https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OPV-iBDM_es/WN5R0JXjX1I/AAAAAAACn...
- ajg4 3y ago
  Трудящиеся Советского Союза! Ещё теснее сплотимся вокруг коммунистической партии и советского правительства, мобилизуем наши силы и творческую энергию на великое дело построения коммунистического общества в нашей стране. Да здравствует нерушимое единентне партии, правительства и народа! Workers of the Soviet Union! Let us unite even more closely around the Communist Party and the Soviet government, mobilizing our forces and creative energy for the great task of building a communist society in our country. Long live the unbreakable unity of the party, the government, and the people!
  - chromoblob 3y ago
    you typoed "единение"
- yaakov34 3y ago
  Sure, have fun: "Workers of the Soviet Union! Let us consolidate ourselves even more around the Communist Party and the Soviet Government, mobilize our forces and our creative energy for the great work of building a Communist society in our country! Long live the unbreakable union between Party, Government, and People!"
  - timaios 3y ago
    So, where is the "fun"? is it about going to other countries to make "regime" changes? I bet, Yasha, that also your grandparents wanted to build a just and equal society. Do you think that their dream was less noble than the "american dream"?
- quotz 3y ago
CoBE10 3y ago
There are many more photos on Manhoff site https://manhoffarchive.org/ https://manhoffarchive.org/ https://manhoffarchive.org/around-moscow https://manhoffarchive.org/around-moscow
willyt 3y ago
Some of the buildings look quite decrepit but if you look at photos of Britain or France or Germany from the 50’s you will see many similar buildings that need painted and cleaned.[0] People don’t look like they are dressed in rags. If anything I was surprised by the number of cars in some of the photos. I didn’t think they illustrated what it felt like to have secret police looking over your shoulder. If you weren’t in trouble with the state or an upper class westerner I don’t think there was a huge difference in lifestyle between East and West Europe for most people until the late 60’s / early 70’s Remember state housing was common in Britain as well. E.g 80% of the population of Glasgow lived in state owned housing until the 1980’s. [O] E.g. look at 1960’s London in the film ‘The Ipcress File’.
- marginalia_nu 3y ago
  > E.g. look at 1960’s London in the film ‘The Ipcress File’. Look at that film in general. It's brilliant.
- mahathu 3y ago
  > E.g 80% of the population of Glasgow lived in state owned housing until the 1980’s. It's not too late to go back to this utopia!
  - bradleyjg 3y ago
    Maybe talk to someone that lived in Glasgow in the 80s before deciding it was a utopia rather than starting with an ideology and choosing your facts to match?
- golergka 3y ago
  As far as I can tell, all of these photos are taken in Moscow's center. It was (and still is) the wealthiest and most privileged place of all the nation. And Russia is a much more centralized country than US/UK, with bigger wealth disparity which is very correlated with geography, so even if I told you to compare to Manhattan or London of the same time, it would still be apples to oranges.
eterevsky 3y ago
Another great glimpse into the everyday life of the Soviet Union of an earlier period, the 1920s, is the movie "Man with a Movie Camera" from 1929: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZkvjWIEcoU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZkvjWIEcoU. It is an experimental documentary which is considered a classic of cinema.
psychphysic 3y ago
> accused of espionage Surely it should say his "espionage was detected" if he's a spy as per the title? Although the article does not suggest he is a spy. Perhaps the title should be changed his deportation might have been a sore spot and it seems unfair to label him definitively a spy if it's not so certain.
- eesmith 3y ago
  https://www.rferl.org/a/manhoff-archive-part-four-spy-or-artist/28419036.html https://www.rferl.org/a/manhoff-archive-part-four-spy-or-art... > Spy Or Artist? / Part Four / The timing and location of Martin Manhoff's work suggest spy. The artistic images he left behind suggest something else. ... > There is no direct evidence that Manhoff was a spy during his time in the U.S.S.R. His military records contain no indication that espionage was a formal part of his duties. After the Soviet newspaper Trud alleged that the Americans had been taking note of various infrastructure while traveling the Trans-Siberian Railway, U.S. authorities declined to comment. And to this day U.S. intelligence agencies refuse to discuss the issue.
cubefox 3y ago
I found these interesting: https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-86xo22o6jeE/WN5Rye49UvI/AAAAAAACn9o/tM6y3WROv_Ia_puH-vp2dD0a3wVxQ05QwCLcB/s1600/martin-manhoff-ussr-photos-12.jpg https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-86xo22o6jeE/WN5Rye49UvI/AAAAAAACn... https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cc6ZoLe139M/WN5RzS1AhCI/AAAAAAACn94/6f3FVJlICIwTwTfqhbfcHRhcczmXvWcYQCLcB/s1600/martin-manhoff-ussr-photos-17.jpg https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cc6ZoLe139M/WN5RzS1AhCI/AAAAAAACn... Woman doing such manual labor would have been highly unusual in Western countries at the time (and still are). They probably were assigned these jobs by the system. Also curious: Selling ice cream in winter? https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JgJPVcAaAwo/WN5R7tuIlLI/AAAAAAACoAE/4zIY0fYgAGoCzahgz1kRGr5RVnQghDj7ACLcB/s1600/martin-manhoff-ussr-photos-48.jpg https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JgJPVcAaAwo/WN5R7tuIlLI/AAAAAAACo...
- markdown 3y ago
  > Also curious: Selling ice cream in winter? I live in a tropical country, and it's quite common to drink hot tea in the heat of summer, to help one cool down. Perhaps the opposite effect works in the cold regions of the world.
  - alvarezbjm-hn 3y ago
    "I live in a tropical country, and it's quite common to drink hot tea in the heat of summer, to help one cool down" I can vouch for the veracity of that claim. Some members of my family drink hot coffee to cool down. (I drink frosted diet coke)
    - cubefox 3y ago
      This sounds rather counterintuitive. It seems to imply drinking hot drinks in winter would make you even colder, not warmer, which doesn't seem true. But this source indeed claims drinking hot tea under certain conditions can cause rather strong sweating, more than compensating the effect of the hot drink: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-hot-drink-on-a-hot-day-can-cool-you-down-1338875/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-hot-drink-on...
  - 3y ago
forgotmypw17 3y ago
https://archive.is/aYCRZ https://archive.is/aYCRZ
nologic01 3y ago
It is particularly interesting to track the use of the bright colors. Pre-consumerist societies did not have a marketing sector so everything was more natural color tinted (which to our eyes looks drab). So if you focus for example on the color red you find it is used extensively in political signaling context (not totally surprising given the location and era :-), to differentiate gender clothing and, in one instance, a religious building.
- true_religion 3y ago
  This isn’t really true. I think you maybe seeing things from a capitalist perspective. Usage of bright color is culturally dependent, and also geographically dependent when it comes to sourcing dye. For example west African counties have always used bright colors in fabric due to culture.
  - nologic01 3y ago
    > I think you maybe seeing things from a capitalist perspective. The argument is that marketing has made cities more intensely colored. Its not a value judgement (maybe calm natural colors are better for the soul). It is also not a universal rule, there are places here and there that have a tradition of painting, e.g., house exteriors in intense colors (these days they are invariably tourist attractions - precisely because they are exceptions). > For example west African counties have always used bright colors in fabric due to culture Red appears in these photos in clothing context so not sure what this (dis)proves. Sourcing dyes for clothing has been a global trade mainstay from the earliest days of human civilization.
    - true_religion 3y ago
      At least some of those buildings are houses. Do you think what color homes are painted has more to do with marketing or culture and geography? How about the clothing choices. I see a lot of grey. Do you think that’s an unconscious choice due to lack of marketing for bright clothes? The red in clothing does stand out, but as other posters and the article say: red was closely associated with the communist party so using it is a political statement of solidarity, not a free fashion choice. Marketing may have an effect on making western cities more catching than they otherwise would be, but communist era Russia isn’t a good example of what that would look like. Due to other constraints (e.g. government control of factories and design industry) people were not really given free expression. This is an economic factor forcing an aesthetic. Similarly, if you live next to a quarry, you’ll have a lot of polished marble buildings in your town. This isn’t because you love white marble, but because it’s far cheaper than trees to you.
pastacacioepepe 3y ago
The bias in the writer is so absurd. It's like in order to talk about the enemy you constantly have to remark how ebil they are compared to us. Obviously, we modern liberal democrats possess none of their defects. This juxtaposition of BBC reporting on DPRK overlaid on the british queen funeral procession[0] brilliantly demonstrates the kind of bias I'm talking about, and how it's more often than not a form of projection of one own issues on others. A few examples of the bias I'm talking about and how it can as easily be applied to "liberal" societies: One notable event chronicled in Manhoff’s diary is his participation in the May Day parade of 1953. He vividly describes the grandiosity of the event, with its elaborate displays of military might and the orchestrated enthusiasm of the Soviet people. It becomes evident that the parade was a carefully choreographed spectacle, designed to showcase the Soviet Union’s ideology and power to the world. Literally any parade involves a "choreographed spectacle" as it's always about showcasing power to the world. Despite the pervasive atmosphere of control and suspicion, Manhoff’s diary also reveals moments of genuine connection and warmth between him and the Soviet citizens. This pervasive atmosphere is nowhere to be seen in the pictures, but of course they had to remind you that these are the ebil commies. The pictures alone look too human otherwise. The secret police played a crucial role in maintaining the conformity necessary for the survival of the socialist regime. Easily reversed: The NSA and FBI played a crucial role in maintaining the conformity necessary for the survival of the capitalist regime. Understanding life in the Soviet Union during this era requires delving into the intricacies of the state-controlled society, the hardships faced by ordinary citizens, and the pervasive ideology that permeated every aspect of life. Easily reversed: Understanding life in the USA during this era requires delving into the intricacies of the capital-controlled society, the hardships faced by ordinary citizens, and the pervasive ideology that permeated every aspect of life. .0: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9y-jabN5sg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9y-jabN5sg
- cpursley 3y ago
  If you think that’s bad, read or watch any western coverage of anything to do with Russia - pre or post invasion. And I mean topics even far outside the realms of politics or war. It’s being happening since the Great Game geopolitical competition.
meghan_rain 3y ago
looks like cuba today
alphaursaemin 3y ago
The picture captioned "Driving down Novinsky bulvar, Moscow" does anyone know the automobile brand from the hood ornament? Search engines spat out Ford Victoria or Fairlane from the '50s (text not image search) but the wings don't quite match.
- justsomehnguy 3y ago
  https://imgur.com/a/rUgfLbk https://imgur.com/a/rUgfLbk
- adrian_b 3y ago
  Most cars existing at that time in USSR, except for those belonging to visiting foreigners, were different models of the locally produced "Pobeda".
neom 3y ago
Shame they don't mention the film used, the tonal range here is super! Of course it looks like they were shot well, never the less... The quality of whatever film was used here is great!!
Synaesthesia 3y ago
This is the country which the Nazis thought nothing of, they thought it would just collapse when they attacked.
bjourne 3y ago
This period is interesting because of the incorrect perceptions that dominated in the West. The US vs the USSR, two giants of roughly equal strength. Never was that the case and the US was always much more powerful than the USSR. The view was maintained by red scare propaganda, western communists (who exaggerated the benefits of socialist economy), and "shows" the USSR put together to impress. For example, the Afghan war was a much heavier burden on the USSR than the Vietnam war on the US. One can imagine that the West currently holds similarly distorted views of the relative strength of the US vs China.
- GartzenDeHaes 3y ago
  During the Start II treaty compliance process, we also learned that much of the Soviet strategic forces were not operational. I knew someone who was on one of the inspection teams and a Soviet Strategic Forces officer involved let him look in the missile silos at some of the sites, which he wasn't supposed to do. There was standing water at the bottom of the silos. This means that the missiles were not launch ready and were not being maintained.
xgbi 3y ago
I like the photo with the trash: except for the bike which is in steel and probably a few bottles in glass, I bet the rest of the f the pile would be completely compostable and gone in 2-3 years. Today a pile of trash is 50% plastic and will linger around for centuries
- washadjeffmad 3y ago
  I lived in an older city for a while and met an antiques dealer who turned me on to old maps. "Honey pits", as they called them, were not just informal garbage dumps, but the local latrines! Today, we separate them, but in the not so distant past (our family's house in West Virginia, not excepted, didn't get telephone or electricity until the 1970s), you just dug a new outhouse when it got full. When I asked if that meant the rare bottles he dealt in had been fished out of former toilets, the antique dealer just gave me an amused smile.
  - cubefox 3y ago
    Yeah, and glass isn't toxic. It's just a mineral, essentially a rock which is shaped funny. Plastic degrades to microplastics and goes into the water cycle and the air, where we breathe it in and drink it. There is suspicion that microplastics could contribute to cancer, autism, obesity, and gender dysphoria. Partly directly, partly because some of the chemicals in plastics resemble hormones, changing prenatal hormone levels, affecting the development of kids as they grow up. This stuff is hard to study academically, as microplastics is everywhere nowadays. Particularly in household dust due to textiles made out of synthetic fibers.
082349872349872 3y ago
For a (1970s?) sample of the other direction: https://diafilmy.su/3646-nyu-york.html https://diafilmy.su/3646-nyu-york.html https://diafilmy.su/3665-nyu-york-2.html https://diafilmy.su/3665-nyu-york-2.html (amusingly enough, I'm pretty sure the first picture of the first part is on the other side of the north american continent from New York, but I didn't notice any other obvious howlers)
BLanen 3y ago
> harsh realities This looks normal. What typical American spin.
thriftwy 3y ago
"It becomes evident that the parade was a carefully choreographed spectacle" You don't say? I visited St. Patrick's day parade in SF and it was definitely choreographed. It's not like people just walked as they see fit. If it isn't it's not a parade.
fennecfoxy 3y ago
I don't think that there has been a single communist nation that hasn't just been a thinly veiled dictatorship.

235 points by Octabrain 3y ago

JoeAltmaier 3y ago

Photos: fascinating Article: dry, empty, trite, derivative. Was it written by an AI? I suspect it was.

egometry 3y ago
Yeah, the cadence of the article also felt AI-ey to me.

Archelaos 3y ago

At least some of the photos contain indications that they are post-Stalin-Era, ie. after 5 March 1953.

pastacacioepepe 3y ago
> indications such as?
- flohofwoe 3y ago
  One of the photos shows an "Agitpunkt" with a date "Sunday, 14th-March 1954". (interestingly "Agitpunkt" sounds like a German loanword)
  - usr1106 3y ago
    Marx was German. Lenin was in German-speaking exile. Maybe that had an influence? Edit: Forgot Engels, another German.
  - Archelaos 3y ago
    Mirriam-Webster says that it is probably shortened from Russian "agitatsionnyĭ punkt", literally, "agitation center".[1] Regarding the etymology of Russian "punkt" Wikitionary tells us: "Through Polish punkt and/or German Punkt from Latin punctum."[2] [1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agitpunkt https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agitpunkt [2] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%BA%D1%82 https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%BA%D1%8...
eesmith 3y ago
Which agrees with how the text mentions May Day 1953 several times, including in the caption of a picture taken from the new US Embassy building, opened shortly after that May Day. The "parade in front of the former U.S. Embassy building on Manezhnaya ploshchad, Moscow" would be from the old embassy, but could still be after Stalin's death. There's also "18 Novinsky bulvar under construction in Moscow" and http://wikimapia.org/12359967/Novinsky-bulvar-18 http://wikimapia.org/12359967/Novinsky-bulvar-18 says it was constructed in 1953. FWIW, Manhoff was in Russia when Stalin died. "From a balcony with a view to the Kremlin, Major Manhoff shot the only known independent footage of Stalin’s funeral." "U.S. Army Major Martin Manhoff had been in Moscow for more than a year when on March 5, 1953, after several days of ominous reports in the Communist Party mouthpiece Pravda, Josef Stalin died." - https://www.rferl.org/a/manhoff-archive-part-one-stalins-funeral/28359561.html https://www.rferl.org/a/manhoff-archive-part-one-stalins-fun... Many of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty images are the same as those on Rare Historical Photos. That's because at the bottom of the Rare Historical Photos page you'll read "Photo credit: Courtesy of Douglas Smith, via Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty / Martin Manhoff’s Archive / Bored Panda / Pinterest". So if you want more old pictures of Moscow, and video, see the RFE/RL link too. Then go to part 3 and see places outside of Moscow - after Stalin's death, travel was easier.

liampulles 3y ago

From Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: https://www.rferl.org/a/the-manhoff-archive/28359558.html https://www.rferl.org/a/the-manhoff-archive/28359558.html Manhoff archive: https://manhoffarchive.org/ https://manhoffarchive.org/

merek 3y ago

Is anyone able to translate the left hand banner of the first image? I tried a free OCR tool but it missed most of it. https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OPV-iBDM_es/WN5R0JXjX1I/AAAAAAACn-E/Al86zrgsG7gWljAX_HpSiDj93x-oPSwmACLcB/s1600/martin-manhoff-ussr-photos-19.jpg https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OPV-iBDM_es/WN5R0JXjX1I/AAAAAAACn...

ajg4 3y ago
Трудящиеся Советского Союза! Ещё теснее сплотимся вокруг коммунистической партии и советского правительства, мобилизуем наши силы и творческую энергию на великое дело построения коммунистического общества в нашей стране. Да здравствует нерушимое единентне партии, правительства и народа! Workers of the Soviet Union! Let us unite even more closely around the Communist Party and the Soviet government, mobilizing our forces and creative energy for the great task of building a communist society in our country. Long live the unbreakable unity of the party, the government, and the people!
- chromoblob 3y ago
  you typoed "единение"
yaakov34 3y ago
Sure, have fun: "Workers of the Soviet Union! Let us consolidate ourselves even more around the Communist Party and the Soviet Government, mobilize our forces and our creative energy for the great work of building a Communist society in our country! Long live the unbreakable union between Party, Government, and People!"
- timaios 3y ago
  So, where is the "fun"? is it about going to other countries to make "regime" changes? I bet, Yasha, that also your grandparents wanted to build a just and equal society. Do you think that their dream was less noble than the "american dream"?
quotz 3y ago

CoBE10 3y ago

There are many more photos on Manhoff site https://manhoffarchive.org/ https://manhoffarchive.org/ https://manhoffarchive.org/around-moscow https://manhoffarchive.org/around-moscow

willyt 3y ago

Some of the buildings look quite decrepit but if you look at photos of Britain or France or Germany from the 50’s you will see many similar buildings that need painted and cleaned.[0] People don’t look like they are dressed in rags. If anything I was surprised by the number of cars in some of the photos. I didn’t think they illustrated what it felt like to have secret police looking over your shoulder. If you weren’t in trouble with the state or an upper class westerner I don’t think there was a huge difference in lifestyle between East and West Europe for most people until the late 60’s / early 70’s Remember state housing was common in Britain as well. E.g 80% of the population of Glasgow lived in state owned housing until the 1980’s. [O] E.g. look at 1960’s London in the film ‘The Ipcress File’.

marginalia_nu 3y ago
> E.g. look at 1960’s London in the film ‘The Ipcress File’. Look at that film in general. It's brilliant.
mahathu 3y ago
> E.g 80% of the population of Glasgow lived in state owned housing until the 1980’s. It's not too late to go back to this utopia!
- bradleyjg 3y ago
  Maybe talk to someone that lived in Glasgow in the 80s before deciding it was a utopia rather than starting with an ideology and choosing your facts to match?
golergka 3y ago
As far as I can tell, all of these photos are taken in Moscow's center. It was (and still is) the wealthiest and most privileged place of all the nation. And Russia is a much more centralized country than US/UK, with bigger wealth disparity which is very correlated with geography, so even if I told you to compare to Manhattan or London of the same time, it would still be apples to oranges.

eterevsky 3y ago

Another great glimpse into the everyday life of the Soviet Union of an earlier period, the 1920s, is the movie "Man with a Movie Camera" from 1929: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZkvjWIEcoU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZkvjWIEcoU. It is an experimental documentary which is considered a classic of cinema.

psychphysic 3y ago

> accused of espionage Surely it should say his "espionage was detected" if he's a spy as per the title? Although the article does not suggest he is a spy. Perhaps the title should be changed his deportation might have been a sore spot and it seems unfair to label him definitively a spy if it's not so certain.

eesmith 3y ago
https://www.rferl.org/a/manhoff-archive-part-four-spy-or-artist/28419036.html https://www.rferl.org/a/manhoff-archive-part-four-spy-or-art... > Spy Or Artist? / Part Four / The timing and location of Martin Manhoff's work suggest spy. The artistic images he left behind suggest something else. ... > There is no direct evidence that Manhoff was a spy during his time in the U.S.S.R. His military records contain no indication that espionage was a formal part of his duties. After the Soviet newspaper Trud alleged that the Americans had been taking note of various infrastructure while traveling the Trans-Siberian Railway, U.S. authorities declined to comment. And to this day U.S. intelligence agencies refuse to discuss the issue.

cubefox 3y ago

I found these interesting: https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-86xo22o6jeE/WN5Rye49UvI/AAAAAAACn9o/tM6y3WROv_Ia_puH-vp2dD0a3wVxQ05QwCLcB/s1600/martin-manhoff-ussr-photos-12.jpg https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-86xo22o6jeE/WN5Rye49UvI/AAAAAAACn... https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cc6ZoLe139M/WN5RzS1AhCI/AAAAAAACn94/6f3FVJlICIwTwTfqhbfcHRhcczmXvWcYQCLcB/s1600/martin-manhoff-ussr-photos-17.jpg https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cc6ZoLe139M/WN5RzS1AhCI/AAAAAAACn... Woman doing such manual labor would have been highly unusual in Western countries at the time (and still are). They probably were assigned these jobs by the system. Also curious: Selling ice cream in winter? https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JgJPVcAaAwo/WN5R7tuIlLI/AAAAAAACoAE/4zIY0fYgAGoCzahgz1kRGr5RVnQghDj7ACLcB/s1600/martin-manhoff-ussr-photos-48.jpg https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JgJPVcAaAwo/WN5R7tuIlLI/AAAAAAACo...

markdown 3y ago
> Also curious: Selling ice cream in winter? I live in a tropical country, and it's quite common to drink hot tea in the heat of summer, to help one cool down. Perhaps the opposite effect works in the cold regions of the world.
- alvarezbjm-hn 3y ago
  "I live in a tropical country, and it's quite common to drink hot tea in the heat of summer, to help one cool down" I can vouch for the veracity of that claim. Some members of my family drink hot coffee to cool down. (I drink frosted diet coke)
  - cubefox 3y ago
    This sounds rather counterintuitive. It seems to imply drinking hot drinks in winter would make you even colder, not warmer, which doesn't seem true. But this source indeed claims drinking hot tea under certain conditions can cause rather strong sweating, more than compensating the effect of the hot drink: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-hot-drink-on-a-hot-day-can-cool-you-down-1338875/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-hot-drink-on...
- 3y ago

forgotmypw17 3y ago

https://archive.is/aYCRZ https://archive.is/aYCRZ

nologic01 3y ago

It is particularly interesting to track the use of the bright colors. Pre-consumerist societies did not have a marketing sector so everything was more natural color tinted (which to our eyes looks drab). So if you focus for example on the color red you find it is used extensively in political signaling context (not totally surprising given the location and era :-), to differentiate gender clothing and, in one instance, a religious building.

true_religion 3y ago
This isn’t really true. I think you maybe seeing things from a capitalist perspective. Usage of bright color is culturally dependent, and also geographically dependent when it comes to sourcing dye. For example west African counties have always used bright colors in fabric due to culture.
- nologic01 3y ago
  > I think you maybe seeing things from a capitalist perspective. The argument is that marketing has made cities more intensely colored. Its not a value judgement (maybe calm natural colors are better for the soul). It is also not a universal rule, there are places here and there that have a tradition of painting, e.g., house exteriors in intense colors (these days they are invariably tourist attractions - precisely because they are exceptions). > For example west African counties have always used bright colors in fabric due to culture Red appears in these photos in clothing context so not sure what this (dis)proves. Sourcing dyes for clothing has been a global trade mainstay from the earliest days of human civilization.
  - true_religion 3y ago
    At least some of those buildings are houses. Do you think what color homes are painted has more to do with marketing or culture and geography? How about the clothing choices. I see a lot of grey. Do you think that’s an unconscious choice due to lack of marketing for bright clothes? The red in clothing does stand out, but as other posters and the article say: red was closely associated with the communist party so using it is a political statement of solidarity, not a free fashion choice. Marketing may have an effect on making western cities more catching than they otherwise would be, but communist era Russia isn’t a good example of what that would look like. Due to other constraints (e.g. government control of factories and design industry) people were not really given free expression. This is an economic factor forcing an aesthetic. Similarly, if you live next to a quarry, you’ll have a lot of polished marble buildings in your town. This isn’t because you love white marble, but because it’s far cheaper than trees to you.

pastacacioepepe 3y ago

The bias in the writer is so absurd. It's like in order to talk about the enemy you constantly have to remark how ebil they are compared to us. Obviously, we modern liberal democrats possess none of their defects. This juxtaposition of BBC reporting on DPRK overlaid on the british queen funeral procession[0] brilliantly demonstrates the kind of bias I'm talking about, and how it's more often than not a form of projection of one own issues on others. A few examples of the bias I'm talking about and how it can as easily be applied to "liberal" societies: One notable event chronicled in Manhoff’s diary is his participation in the May Day parade of 1953. He vividly describes the grandiosity of the event, with its elaborate displays of military might and the orchestrated enthusiasm of the Soviet people. It becomes evident that the parade was a carefully choreographed spectacle, designed to showcase the Soviet Union’s ideology and power to the world. Literally any parade involves a "choreographed spectacle" as it's always about showcasing power to the world. Despite the pervasive atmosphere of control and suspicion, Manhoff’s diary also reveals moments of genuine connection and warmth between him and the Soviet citizens. This pervasive atmosphere is nowhere to be seen in the pictures, but of course they had to remind you that these are the ebil commies. The pictures alone look too human otherwise. The secret police played a crucial role in maintaining the conformity necessary for the survival of the socialist regime. Easily reversed: The NSA and FBI played a crucial role in maintaining the conformity necessary for the survival of the capitalist regime. Understanding life in the Soviet Union during this era requires delving into the intricacies of the state-controlled society, the hardships faced by ordinary citizens, and the pervasive ideology that permeated every aspect of life. Easily reversed: Understanding life in the USA during this era requires delving into the intricacies of the capital-controlled society, the hardships faced by ordinary citizens, and the pervasive ideology that permeated every aspect of life. .0: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9y-jabN5sg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9y-jabN5sg

cpursley 3y ago
If you think that’s bad, read or watch any western coverage of anything to do with Russia - pre or post invasion. And I mean topics even far outside the realms of politics or war. It’s being happening since the Great Game geopolitical competition.

meghan_rain 3y ago

looks like cuba today

alphaursaemin 3y ago

The picture captioned "Driving down Novinsky bulvar, Moscow" does anyone know the automobile brand from the hood ornament? Search engines spat out Ford Victoria or Fairlane from the '50s (text not image search) but the wings don't quite match.

justsomehnguy 3y ago
https://imgur.com/a/rUgfLbk https://imgur.com/a/rUgfLbk
adrian_b 3y ago
Most cars existing at that time in USSR, except for those belonging to visiting foreigners, were different models of the locally produced "Pobeda".

neom 3y ago

Shame they don't mention the film used, the tonal range here is super! Of course it looks like they were shot well, never the less... The quality of whatever film was used here is great!!

Synaesthesia 3y ago

This is the country which the Nazis thought nothing of, they thought it would just collapse when they attacked.

bjourne 3y ago

This period is interesting because of the incorrect perceptions that dominated in the West. The US vs the USSR, two giants of roughly equal strength. Never was that the case and the US was always much more powerful than the USSR. The view was maintained by red scare propaganda, western communists (who exaggerated the benefits of socialist economy), and "shows" the USSR put together to impress. For example, the Afghan war was a much heavier burden on the USSR than the Vietnam war on the US. One can imagine that the West currently holds similarly distorted views of the relative strength of the US vs China.

GartzenDeHaes 3y ago
During the Start II treaty compliance process, we also learned that much of the Soviet strategic forces were not operational. I knew someone who was on one of the inspection teams and a Soviet Strategic Forces officer involved let him look in the missile silos at some of the sites, which he wasn't supposed to do. There was standing water at the bottom of the silos. This means that the missiles were not launch ready and were not being maintained.

xgbi 3y ago

I like the photo with the trash: except for the bike which is in steel and probably a few bottles in glass, I bet the rest of the f the pile would be completely compostable and gone in 2-3 years. Today a pile of trash is 50% plastic and will linger around for centuries

washadjeffmad 3y ago
I lived in an older city for a while and met an antiques dealer who turned me on to old maps. "Honey pits", as they called them, were not just informal garbage dumps, but the local latrines! Today, we separate them, but in the not so distant past (our family's house in West Virginia, not excepted, didn't get telephone or electricity until the 1970s), you just dug a new outhouse when it got full. When I asked if that meant the rare bottles he dealt in had been fished out of former toilets, the antique dealer just gave me an amused smile.
- cubefox 3y ago
  Yeah, and glass isn't toxic. It's just a mineral, essentially a rock which is shaped funny. Plastic degrades to microplastics and goes into the water cycle and the air, where we breathe it in and drink it. There is suspicion that microplastics could contribute to cancer, autism, obesity, and gender dysphoria. Partly directly, partly because some of the chemicals in plastics resemble hormones, changing prenatal hormone levels, affecting the development of kids as they grow up. This stuff is hard to study academically, as microplastics is everywhere nowadays. Particularly in household dust due to textiles made out of synthetic fibers.

082349872349872 3y ago

For a (1970s?) sample of the other direction: https://diafilmy.su/3646-nyu-york.html https://diafilmy.su/3646-nyu-york.html https://diafilmy.su/3665-nyu-york-2.html https://diafilmy.su/3665-nyu-york-2.html (amusingly enough, I'm pretty sure the first picture of the first part is on the other side of the north american continent from New York, but I didn't notice any other obvious howlers)

BLanen 3y ago

> harsh realities This looks normal. What typical American spin.

thriftwy 3y ago

"It becomes evident that the parade was a carefully choreographed spectacle" You don't say? I visited St. Patrick's day parade in SF and it was definitely choreographed. It's not like people just walked as they see fit. If it isn't it's not a parade.

fennecfoxy 3y ago

I don't think that there has been a single communist nation that hasn't just been a thinly veiled dictatorship.