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Soviet Union Military Museum Visit

The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and his Soviet counterpart, Marshal of the USSR Sergei F. Akrhomeyev, approved an exchange of military museum directors in 1987. This exchange promoted better understanding between two countries. The Soviet delegation arrived in December 1988. Two months after the Soviet’s visit, an eight-member team of representatives from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps arrived in Moscow, Russia, to tour Soviet museums.


NMUSN-107: Soviet Military Museum Delegation, December 1988. On December 16, 1988, a delegation of Soviet military museums visited the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) under an exchange which promoted an understanding of the two...

NMUSN-107:  Soviet Military Museum Delegation, December 1988.    On December 16, 1988,  a delegation of Soviet military museums visited the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) under an exchange which promoted an understanding of the two countries’ military museums.   Shown:  Director of Education, Susan Silverstein, greets one of the delegates during the visit to the Navy Museum.    National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.  


NMUSN-109: Soviet Military Museum Delegation, December 1988. On December 16, 1988, a delegation of Soviet military museums visited the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) under an exchange which promoted an understanding of the two...

NMUSN-109:  Soviet Military Museum Delegation, December 1988.    On December 16, 1988, a delegation of Soviet military museums visited the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) under an exchange which promoted an understanding of the two countries’ military museums.   Shown:  Director of the Navy Museum, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., tells about the Boatswain’s Mate Charles W. Riggins sculpture to the Soviet delegates during the visit to the Navy Museum.    National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.  

The Soviets visited the Navy Historical Center (now Naval History and Heritage Command), and the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) on December 16, 1988. Following tours through the Curator Branch at the Navy Historical Center by the Director Ronald J. Spector, Ph.D., the Soviets had lunch at the Navy Museum, which was followed by a tour of the museum by Director Oscar P. Fitzgerald. The museum’s staff curated a WWI and WWII war poster exhibit for the visiting delegation.


NMUSN-108: Soviet Military Museum Delegation, December 1988. On December 16, 1988, a delegation of Soviet military museums visited the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) under an exchange which promoted an understanding of the two...

NMUSN-108:  Soviet Military Museum Delegation, December 1988.    On December 16, 1988,  a delegation of Soviet military museums visited the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) under an exchange which promoted an understanding of the two countries’ military museums.   Shown:  Director of the Navy Museum, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., receives a gift from one of the delegates during the visit to the Navy Museum.    National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.  

The next day, the group was given a tour of the Marine Corps Historical Center, which was located at the Washington Navy Yard at that time. The delegation flew to Naval Air Station, Pensacola, on December 19 and also were given a tour at the Naval Aviation Museum by the Director Captain Robert L. Rasmussen, USN, (Retired). The next stop was at the U.S Army Armor Museum at Fort Knox, Kentucky. They then flew the U.A. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force base at Dayton, Ohio.


NMUSN-110: Soviet Military Museum Delegation, December 1988. On December 16, 1988, a delegation of Soviet military museums visited the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) under an exchange which promoted an understanding of the two...

NMUSN-110: Soviet Military Museum Delegation, December 1988.    On December 16, 1988, a delegation of Soviet military museums visited the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) under an exchange which promoted an understanding of the two countries’ military museums.   Shown:  Director of the Navy Museum, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., Soviet delegate, and Director of the Navy Historical Center, Ronald J. Spector, Ph.D. during the visit to the Navy Museum.    National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.  

The Soviet visitors were Colonel Valentine Sergeyevich Grichuk, Head of Delegation and representative of the Department of Military-History Affairs, General Staff, Soviet Armed Forces; Captain First Rank Pavel Platonovich Boyko, Representative, Military Culture and Art Department, Main Political Directorate, Soviet Army and Navy; Captain First Rank Alexeksey Mikhaylovich Aleshin, Central Navy Museum, Leningrad; Colonel Vitaliy Treent’yevich Pasechinikov, Director, Center Armed Forces, Museum of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union; Colonel Mikhail Yakovlevich Kravchenko, Director, Military History Museum of Artillery; and General Lieutenant Sergey Yakovlevich Fedorov, Soviet Air Force, Director of Soviet Air Force Museum, Moscow.


NMUSN-111: Soviet Military Museum Delegation, December 1988. On December 16, 1988, a delegation of Soviet military museums visited the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) under an exchange which promoted an understanding of the two...

NMUSN-111:  Soviet Military Museum Delegation, December 1988.    On December 16, 1988, a delegation of Soviet military museums visited the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) under an exchange which promoted an understanding of the two countries’ military museums.   Shown:  Director of the Navy Historical Center, Ronald J. Spector, Ph.D. receives a gift from one of the Soviet delegates upon the USS Constitution Fighting Top during the visit to the Navy Museum.    National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.  

The U.S. Representatives departed for Russia in late February 1989. Arriving in Moscow, they toured the Kremlin Armory Chamber, the Central Museum of the Armed Forces. The Grekov Institute of Military Artists, the Air Force Museum, the Central Naval Museum, the Artillery, Engineers, and Signal Museum. They departed back to the United States in early March.


NMUSN-112: Soviet Military Museum Delegation, December 1988. On December 16, 1988, a delegation of Soviet military museums visited the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) under an exchange which promoted an understanding of the two...

NMUSN-112:  Soviet Military Museum Delegation, December 1988.    On December 16, 1988, a delegation of Soviet military museums visited the Navy Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy) under an exchange which promoted an understanding of the two countries’ military museums.   Shown:  Director of the Navy Historical Center, Ronald J. Spector, Ph.D. receives a gift from one of the Soviet delegates upon the USS Constitution Fighting Top during the visit to the Navy Museum.    National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.  


NMUSN-127: Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Russia, February-March 1989. The Navy Museum’s Director, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is in the center left, with the Navy Museum’s Deputy Director, Ms. Claudia Pennington. Naval Aviation Museum’s Direct...

NMUSN-127:  Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Russia, February-March 1989.   The Navy Museum’s Director, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is in the center left, with the Navy Museum’s Deputy Director, Ms. Claudia Pennington.    Naval Aviation Museum’s Director Robert L. Rasmussen is the third from left.  National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.  


NMUSN-128: Moscow, Russia, February-March 1989. The Navy Museum’s Director, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is in the center left, with the Navy Museum’s Deputy Director, Ms. Claudia Pennington. Naval Aviation Museum’s Director Robert L. Rasmussen is...

NMUSN-128:  Moscow, Russia, February-March 1989.   The Navy Museum’s Director, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is in the center left, with the Navy Museum’s Deputy Director, Ms. Claudia Pennington.    Naval Aviation Museum’s Director Robert L. Rasmussen is the center.   National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.  


NMUSN-129: Museum of Artillery, Engineers, and Signal Corps, February-March 1989. The Navy Museum’s Director, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D. is the second from right. The Deputy Director of the Navy Museum, Ms. Claudia Pennington is in the center wit...

NMUSN-129:  Museum of Artillery, Engineers, and Signal Corps, Moscow, Russia, February-March 1989.   The Navy Museum’s Director, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D. is the second from right.    The Deputy Director of the Navy Museum, Ms. Claudia Pennington is in the center with pink coat.   Naval Aviation Museum Director, Robert L. Rasmussen is on the far left.  National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.  


NMUSN-130: American Military Museum Directors, Moscow, Russia, February-March 1989. Directors tour a Soviet Military Museum. The Navy Museum’s Director Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is second from left, back row. Deputy Director Ms. Claudia Penning...

NMUSN-130:  American Military Museum Directors, Moscow, Russia, February-March 1989.   Directors tour a Soviet Military Museum.   The Navy Museum’s Director Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is second from left, back row.   Deputy Director Ms. Claudia Pennington is fifth from left.   Naval Aviation Museum Director Robert L. Rasmussen, is fourth from left.  National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.  


NMUSN-131: Central Air Force Museum, Moscow, Russia, February-March 1989. The Navy Museum’s Director, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is the third from left, front row. The Deputy Director, Ms. Claudia Pennington, is the fourth from right. Naval Avia...

NMUSN-131:  Central Air Force Museum, Moscow, Russia, February-March 1989.   The Navy Museum’s Director, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is the third from left, front row.   The Deputy Director, Ms. Claudia Pennington, is the fourth from right.   Naval Aviation Museum’s Director Robert L. Rasmussen is the second from left, last row.  National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.  


NMUSN-132: American Military Museum Directors, Moscow, Russia, February-March 1989. The Navy Museum’s Director, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is the fourth from left, back row. The Deputy Director, Ms. Claudia Pennington, is second from left. Naval...

NMUSN-132:  American Military Museum Directors, Moscow, Russia, February-March 1989.   The Navy Museum’s Director, Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is the fourth from left, back row.   The Deputy Director, Ms. Claudia Pennington, is second from left.   Naval Aviation Museum’s Director Robert L. Rasmussen is the third from right.  National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.  

Published: Tue Aug 17 11:12:53 EDT 2021