1989 visit by Boris Yeltsin to the United States

none January 2025 January 2025 1989 visit by Boris Yeltsin to the United States Soviet Union–United States relations 1989 09 09 1989 09 17 United Statesnote Specific cities included New York City, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston, and Miami. Esalen Institute Boris Yeltsin In September 1989, Boris Yeltsin, a politician who had recently been elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, visited the United States. During the trip, he visited ten cities and made numerous speeches and public appearances. Following his electoral victories in the 1989 elections, multiple organizations and individuals had reached out to Yeltsin, who was widely seen as a leader of the political reform movement in the Soviet Union, regarding a visit to the United States. Ultimately, Yeltsin accepted an offer from the Esalen Institute that would see the Soviet politician visit multiple cities on a public speaking tour. The trip would be entirely funded via his speaking fees, and as part of the agreement, Yeltsin's share of the profits would be used to purchase disposable syringes to help combat HIV/AIDS in the Soviet Union. The trip began on September 9 with a visit to New York City and continued over the next week, with notable highlights including a meeting with President George H. W. Bush at the White House and a meeting with former President Ronald Reagan in Minnesota. On September 16, following a tour of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Yeltsin's entourage made an unexpected stop at a Randalls grocery store to see what the average American shopping experience was like. Multiple commentators have noted that the grocery store visit had a major impact on Yeltsin's political views, with an aide who had been present with him during the trip saying that "the last vestige of Bolshevism collapsed inside" of him following the trip. Upon his return to the Soviet Union, Yeltsin continued to advocate for political reform and for closer ties with the United States. In 1991, he was elected president of Russia and, in that position, helped lead the country away from a communist system and towards a democratic capitalist one. In 2020, a comic opera of Yeltsin's visit to the Houston area grocery market, titled Yeltsin in Texas, premiered. Background Soviet Union–United States relationsthumb|240x240px|Boris Yeltsin in February 1989 Boris Yeltsin was a politician in the Soviet Union who, in the 1989 Soviet Union legislative election that March, won a landslide victory in his election to the Congress of People's Deputies, receiving about 92 percent of the vote in his Moscow district.Aron 2000 274–276 In doing so, he soundly defeated a candidate who had been favored by the local chapter of the Communist Party.United Press International 1989a Later that year, this body elected him to a seat on the Supreme Soviet.Aron 2000 300–301 During his time in the legislature, he cofounded the Inter-regional Deputies Group, a Parliamentary opposition group that focused on government reform.Aron 2000 308–312 He served as a co-chairman for the group.Aron 2000 312 According to United Press International (UPI), Yeltsin was seen as a "national symbol of reform",United Press International 1989a while Felicity Barringer of The New York Times called him "the symbol of growing political pluralism in Moscow".Barringer 1989a 4 UPI further called him the second most popular person in the country, behind only General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.United Press International 1989a Following his first election, Yeltsin began to receive invitations from several groups and individuals in the United States, including United States senators, the Council on Foreign Relations,Kripal 2007 393 the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and several universities, requesting for him to make appearances.Aron 2000 321 In total, he received 15 different invitations in 1989, though Yeltsin remained hesitant to visit.Aron 2000 321 Some of his aides reached out to Soviet activist Gennady Alferenko about a potential visit to the United States, and Alferenko talked to Jim Garrison, the executive director of the Soviet–American Exchange Program of the Esalen Institute.Kripal 2007 393 Esalen, a New Age group based in California,Aron 2000 321–322 had established the program in 1980 in order to foster better relations between Soviets and Americans.Kripal Shuck 2005 6–7 The program usually involved people from the two countries meeting in a casual setting at Esalen's facility in California, with some in the media referring to the program's citizen diplomacy as "hot tub diplomacy".Kripal Shuck 2005 7 Garrison and Alferenko met with Yeltsin in Moscow to discuss the trip, with Yeltsin ultimately agreeing.Kripal 2007 393 The Foundation for Social Inventions also supported Yeltsin's trip,Aron 2000 321 which would be his first to the United States.Combs 2008 205 Esalen's plan for Yeltsin did not involve a trip to their California facility,Kripal Shuck 2005 7 but instead consisted of a multi-day tour of the United States that included numerous speaking appearances for the Soviet politician.Aron 2000 321–322 These cities would include New York City, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Dallas, and Miami.Aron 2000 323 Additionally, the trip would include a stop in Houston to see the Johnson Space Center.Aron 2000 323 Esalen would pay for the trip through the collection of speaking fees, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 per appearance (equivalent to between $US 5,000 1989 -3 c and $US 25,000 1989 -3 c in US).Aron 2000 322 Thirty percent of the money raised would go towards the booking agency that planned the events, while the remainder would go to Yeltsin.Aron 2000 322 Yeltsin was at first opposed to the commercial nature of the tour but eventually agreed to it as a way to self-finance the trip.Aron 2000 322 However, he only agreed to participate on the stipulation that his entire share of the profits be spent on disposable syringes for Soviet hospitals.Aron 2000 322 Earlier in the year, nine children in the Soviet city of Elista had contracted HIV due to faulty medical equipment, and the syringes were intended to help combat the further spread of HIV/AIDS in the Soviet Union.Aron 2000 322 In addition to his share of the profits, Yeltsin was also guaranteed a $100 per diem ($US 100 1989 0 c in US).Aron 2000 323 Yeltsin publicly announced his trip at a press conference on September 5.United Press International 1989a He said that, while the acquisition of medical supplies had been a secondary goal of his trip, his main goal was to learn more about the United States.Aron 2000 322note In a later conversation with United States National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, Yeltsin told him that his trip was more for "philosophical" than political reasons and that he wanted to see this "great country and get acquainted with its hard-working people".Aron 2000 335–336 Commenting on his perceived differences between the United States and Soviet Union, The New York Times quoted him as saying, "You have more than 200 years' experience in democratic government, although bourgeois democracy. We're just getting out of the egg".Howe 1989 17 UPI also said that his lectures would focus on the Soviet system of government,United Press International 1989b calling the theme of his lectures "Frontiers of Soviet Democracy".United Press International 1989a Yeltsin also hoped to use the trip as a platform to advocate for continued economic and political reform in the Soviet Union, such as with Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika programs.Aron 2000 330 Yeltsin also planned to visit several AIDS clinics, including the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.United Press International 1989a Accompanying Yeltsin on his trip would be Viktor Yaroshenko (a member of the Congress of People's Deputies), Lev Sukhanov (a personal assistant to Yeltsin), Viktor Alferenko (the chairman of the Foundation for Social Inventions), Pavel Voshchanov (a colleague of Alferenko and columnist for the newspaper Pravda), Garrison, an assistant for Garrison, and two translators.Aron 2000 322 While the trip was initially planned to run from September 9 to 23, it was shortened by a few days to allow Yeltsin to attend an important meeting of the Central Committee in Moscow.United Press International 1989b As a result, he would return by September 17.Kripal 2007 393 According to Garrison, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not grant Yeltsin an exit visa until the night of September 7, casting some doubt that the trip would occur.Barringer 1989a 4 Visit New York City thumb|240x240px|Yeltsin's first public speaking engagement occurred at the Low Memorial Library at Columbia University (pictured 2012).Aron 2000 323, 337 Yeltsin flew to the United States on September 9,United Press International 1989b arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, where he spoke to a group of reporters at the Worldport.Aron 2000 324 During his first morning in the city, he took a helicopter tour to see the Statue of Liberty.Aron 2000 324 This was followed by a day and a half of interviews and further sightseeing,Bohlen 1989 1 visiting such tourist attractions as Central Park, the Empire State Building, Fifth Avenue, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Trump Tower.Aron 2000 325 Plans to visit Bloomingdale's flagship store in Manhattan were cancelled due to time considerations.Bohlen 1989 1 At 7:15 a.m. on September 10, Yeltsin was interviewed by Good Morning America on ABC, after which he visited the New York Stock Exchange.Aron 2000 323 Later interviews included ones with Nightline on ABC, Face the Nation on CBS, and The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour on PBS.Aron 2000 323, 330, 345 At noon, Yeltsin attended a meeting of officials of the Council on Foreign Relations, including George F. Kennan and Cyrus Vance, where he was introduced by David Rockefeller.Aron 2000 323–324 His first large-scale public speaking engagement was later that day at Columbia University.Aron 2000 323, 337 The speech had been arranged by Professor Robert Legvold and took place in the Low Memorial Library, with Columbia University President Michael I. Sovern introducing him.Aron 2000 337–338 That evening, he attended a dinner at the River Club hosted by Rockefeller, and shortly before midnight, he boarded a plane to Baltimore.Aron 2000 323 Baltimore Originally, Yeltsin had planned to arrive in Baltimore by 10 p.m. on September 12.Aron 2000 342 However, he did not arrive at Baltimore/Washington International Airport until 1 a.m. the next day, and he was described by those around him as extremely tired.Aron 2000 342 Yeltsin was scheduled to participate in a speech at 7:45 a.m., though he and his entourage did not begin to go to sleep until about 4 a.m., after a late meal.Aron 2000 342 Yeltsin himself, however, had trouble going to sleep and only went to bed after consuming two shots of whiskey and two sleeping pills.Aron 2000 342–343 In total, he only slept for about two hours that night before waking for his meeting at the Johns Hopkins Club.Aron 2000 343 Yeltsin's speech was delayed by over an hour before he was able to deliver it.Aron 2000 343 Steven Muller, president of Johns Hopkins University, called the meeting that he organized "at best an unmitigated disaster".Aron 2000 341–342 While colleagues of his defended his behavior and said he was not drunk during the engagement,Keller 1989 13Aron 2000 343note In later comments, Garrison stated that Yeltsin had been drunk constantly throughout the trip, but that he had kept this information hidden from the public.Kripal 2007 393 it was reported in several sources, including The New York Times,Aikman 1991 that he had been drinking heavily and was visibly intoxicated.Malcolm 2024 Following his speech, he departed Baltimore for Washington, D.C.,Aron 2000 344 though not before receiving a medal from Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke for participating in a city-coordinated literacy program.Aron 2000 339 Washington, D.C. thumb|260x260px|Yeltsin met with President George H. W. Bush (right) at the White House on September 11, 1989 (picture of a later meeting in 1991). Prior to departing to the United States, Yeltsin had expressed interest in speaking to George H. W. Bush, the president of the United States, though by early September, nothing solid had been established regarding this meeting.Barringer 1989a 4 However, while in Baltimore, Yeltsin received news that, on September 11,United Press International 1989c he would be received at the White House.Barringer 1989b 6 Because the Bush administration did not want Yeltsin's White House visit to be perceived as a slight towards Gorbachev, who had never visited the White House,Aron 2000 333 they decided that, officially, Yeltsin would be received by National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, but that Bush would be present as well.Aron 2000 334 Additionally, no members of the media would be present.Aron 2000 334 Yeltsin was not made aware of this arrangement until he arrived at the White House.Aron 2000 334–335 In total, Yeltsin only had a brief interaction with Bush, who was preparing for a speech at the time, and much of the information that Yeltsin had wished to talk to Bush about was instead delivered to Scowcroft.Aron 2000 335–336 While at the White House, Yeltsin also met with presidential advisor Condoleezza Rice and Vice President Dan Quayle.Aron 2000 335–336 Because of the White House visit, Yeltsin was forced to cancel several other engagements he had had planned in Washington, including a meeting with a group of politicians that included Zbigniew Brzezinski, Dick Gephardt, and Barbara Mikulski.Barringer 1989b 6 The only appointment that he was able to keep was with a group of several senators that had been organized by Bill Bradley.Barringer 1989b 6 One of the last people he met with while at the United States Capitol was Secretary of State James Baker.Barringer 1989b 6Aron 2000 337 Activity in other cities On September 12, Yeltsin visited Philadelphia, where he saw the Liberty Bell.United Press International 1989c While in Indiana, Yeltsin visited a pig farm,Kripal 2007 396 and when asked by a farmer if he wanted to see pigs, Yeltsin jokingly replied, "Generally, I prefer to see Americans, but, I guess, pigs would do."Aron 2000 339Time 1989 On September 14,Kripal 2007 396 while visiting Minneapolis, Yeltsin traveled to Rochester, Minnesota, to see former President Ronald Reagan, who was recuperating from surgery at the Mayo Clinic Hospital.Aron 2000 327Altman 1989 16 Yeltsin said he hoped to meet with Reagan because he respected the former president for his role in improving Soviet–American relations.Altman 1989 16Aron 2000 327 Grocery store visit in Houston While in Texas, Yeltsin gave a speech in Dallas,Lovell 2010 311 and on September 16,David 2025Hagerty 2020aHagerty 2020bHlavaty 2018a he traveled to Houston to visit the Johnson Space Center.Hlavaty 2014 While there, his entourage was given a private tour of the facility and shown the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center and a mockup of a planned space station that NASA was working on.Hlavaty 2014Hlavaty 2018a Part of the reason for the visit was so that Yeltsin, who had campaigned in part on reducing funding for the Soviet space program, could see the possibilities of what further funding for aeronautics research could lead to.Malcolm 2024 Yeltsin had a background in engineering and asked many questions regarding construction and design during the tour.Hlavaty 2014 Following the tour, Yeltsin and his group departed the facility and began driving to the airport.Combs 2008 205Kripal 2007 396 While on the way to the airport, Yeltsin decided to take an unannounced visit to a grocery store.Combs 2008 205Kripal 2007 396 Yeltsin said that he wanted to visit a typical store in order to see what the average American shopping experience was like.Malcolm 2024 The group decided to visit Randalls #30 at 570 El Dorado Boulevard, near the intersection with State Highway 3,Paulus 2024Hagerty 2020aHagerty 2020bHlavaty 2018a in Webster.Malcolm 2024 The store manager received a phone call from the group shortly before their arrival, and he was given about 15 minutes to prepare.Malcolm 2024Hagerty 2020b The visit was a low-key event, without heavy security or media presence,Hagerty 2020b with the exception of reporter Stefanie Asin of the Houston Chronicle.Hlavaty 2018aHagerty 2020bDavid 2025 Yeltsin arrived at the store around 1:30 p.m.Kripal 2007 396 During his visit, Yeltsin inspected the product selection in the store and tried free samples of cheese and produce.Hlavaty 2014Hlavaty 2018b According to the manager on duty at the time, Yeltsin was very interested in the frozen food section,Hagerty 2020b and a picture of Yeltsin looking at a selection of Pudding Pops was widely republished.Hlavaty 2018aHlavaty 2018bMalcolm 2024 He was astonished by the selection available in the store, which he was told offered about 30,000 unique products, and expressed disbelief that such a store was available to residents outside of major urban areas like New York City.Aron 2000 328Hlavaty 2018a He also asked the store manager if he had required specialized training to earn his position.David 2025 Speaking through an interpreter, Yeltsin talked to employees and customers,Hagerty 2020b asking them questions about how much they spent on groceries compared to what their salary was.David 2025 In total, the trip lasted about 20 minutes,Hlavaty 2014Hlavaty 2018bGill 2019aGill 2019b with Yeltsin receiving a goodie bag from the store staff before leaving.Hlavaty 2018a Following the grocery store visit, Yeltsin and his entourage flew to Miami, their final location before returning to the Soviet Union.Aron 2000 329David 2025Hlavaty 2018a During the flight, Yeltsin was in a state of shock regarding the grocery store and remained speechless for a long time.Aron 2000 329 According to Sukhanov, it was during the flight that "the last vestige of Bolshevism collapsed inside" Yeltsin.Aron 2000 329 Following his silence, Yeltsin asked aloud, "What have they done to our people?", questioning the Soviet Union's struggles with food.Aron 2000 329 In a later biography, Yeltsin commented regarding his grocery store visit,David 2025Malcolm 2024 When I saw those shelves crammed with hundreds, thousands of cans, cartons and goods of every possible sort, for the first time I felt quite frankly sick with despair for the Soviet people. That such a potentially super-rich country as ours has been brought to a state of such poverty! It is terrible to think of it. Yeltsin commented that if people in the Soviet Union were aware of the quality of the average American grocery store, "there would be a revolution", further saying that "Even the Politburo doesn't have this choice. Not even Mr. Gorbachev."David 2025Hlavaty 2018aMalcolm 2024 Aftermath The trip had been widely covered by almost every major American news publication and program,Kripal 2007 393 and he had been relatively well received at his events, which included numerous standing ovations.Aron 2000 340–341 Concerning the significance of Yeltsin's trip, Lester Thurow of the MIT Sloan School of Management said, "It's a revolution. He's really the leader of the political opposition in Moscow, and to think that the leadership would let him visit the United States - well, there would have been no way on God's green earth that could have happened 10 years ago."Barringer 1989a 4 After returning to the Soviet Union, the Esalen Institute held a press conference showing a large collection of disposable syringes that they were shipping to the Soviet Union, per the terms of Yeltsin's agreement with the group.Aron 2000 322–323 In later years, Yeltsin would similarly use the profits he received from a speaking tour of Japan to buy more syringes,Aron 2000 323 as well as the profits from an autobiography he wrote.McDowell 1989 13 Regarding his per diem, he used the funds to purchase a computer for his office and gifts for his children and grandchildren.Aron 2000 323 Impact on Yeltsin's views thumb|300x300px|Yeltsin waving a Russian flag in 1991 Following his trip, Yeltsin stated that his views of the United States had "turned around 180 degrees".Aron 2000 326Plokhy 2014 42Bohlen 1989 1 In a later biography, his biographer, Leon Aron, noted that there had been four major political takeaways that Yeltsin had had in the United States.Aron 2000 327 These included the importance of having a peaceful coexistence between the majority government and minority government in the legislature, the protection of civil liberties, the direct election of the president, and antitrust laws that prevented the development of monopolies.Aron 2000 327 Regarding New York City, he said that his impression of the city was not what he had expected based on the Soviet propaganda that he had consumed, commenting that the people were respectful and the architecture of the city was impressive.Aron 2000 325–326 Concerning a public housing project near the East River, he compared them to Khrushchevkas built during the 1960s and said that "some slums [in New York City] would pass for decent housing in the Soviet Union".Aron 2000 325 However, multiple commentators have stated that his grocery store visit in Texas had proven to be the most impactful part of his visit,Kripal 2007 396 with Aron saying that his experience there was "unequal in its impact".Aron 2000 328 Multiple commentators have noted that the trip damaged Yeltsin's support for the communist system then in place in his home country,Dobbs 1997 317Hagerty 2020aHagerty 2020bnote This topic was the subject of numerous conservative and libertarian organizations and commentators, such as the Cato Institute and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, in the 2010s and 2020s.Miller 2018Roberts 2019Lincicome 2023 with journalist Marilyn Berger saying in 2007 that, following the grocery store trip, Yeltsin "became more convinced than ever that Russia had been ruinously damaged by its centralized, state-run economic system, where people stood in long lines to buy the most basic needs of life and more often than not found the shelves bare".Berger 2007 Back in the Soviet Union, Yeltsin became much more supportive of improving relations with the United States.Aron 2000 326 In December, he became the leader of the democratic opposition to Gorbachev,Dobbs 1997 316 whom he criticized due to the slow pace of reforms in the country.Oliver Toprani 2022 117 In 1991, he left the Communist Party and became the first president of Russia.Hlavaty 2018aMalcolm 2024 In June 1991, while president-elect, he again visited the United States.Sarotte 2021 116 As president, he helped to lead the country from a one-party communist state to a democratic capitalist nation.Malcolm 2024 Voshchanov, who had accompanied Yeltsin during his 1989 trip, became his first press secretary.Aron 2000 322 Yeltsin died in 2007.David 2025Hlavaty 2018a By 2017, the Randalls that he had visited had closed.Hlavaty 2018a It was replaced by a Lewis Food Town location,Hagerty 2020aHagerty 2020bPaulus 2024 though this store had also closed by 2025.David 2025 In 2020, a comic opera that showed a comedic retelling of Yeltsin's visit to the grocery store called Yeltsin in Texas was produced and performed in the Houston area.Levitt 2020Groover 2020Hagerty 2020aHagerty 2020bGray 2020Jordan 2019 See also Foreign relations of the Soviet Union Foreign relations of the United States Notes note References Sources 30em yes Aikman David David Aikman September 2, 1991 Rising Star: The Man Who Rules Russia https://time.com/archive/6718474/rising-star-the-man-who-rules-russia/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250116222344/https://time.com/archive/6718474/rising-star-the-man-who-rules-russia/ January 16, 2025 January 16, 2025 Time Time Warner 0040-781X 1311479 Altman Lawrence K. Lawrence K. 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Matlock Jr. 2008 978-0-271-03355-6 University Park, Pennsylvania 231680061 David Jamil January 13, 2025 Food Town closes location of former Randall's visited by Boris Yeltsin https://www.chron.com/culture/article/boris-yeltsin-randalls-closing-20031801.php January 14, 2025 Chron.com Hearst Communications Dobbs Michael Michael Dobbs (journalist) https://books.google.com/books?id=BXoxAAAAQBAJ Down with Big Brother: The Fall of the Soviet Empire Bloomsbury Publishing 1997 978-1-4088-5102-9 London 893298079 1996 Gill Julian February 26, 2019a The weirdest things that have ever happened in Houston https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/slideshow/The-weirdest-things-that-have-ever-happened-in-190341.php January 14, 2025 Chron.com Hearst Communications Gill Julian February 27, 2019b The strangest things that have happened in Houston https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/The-strangest-things-that-have-ever-happened-in-13649560.php January 14, 2025 Chron.com Hearst Communications Gray Chris January 30, 2020 New Opera Tells Story Of Russian Politician Boris Yeltsin's 1989 Trip to Randalls https://www.houstoniamag.com/arts-and-culture/2020/01/yeltsin-in-texas-opera-in-the-heights live https://web.archive.org/web/20240917204130/https://www.houstoniamag.com/arts-and-culture/2020/01/yeltsin-in-texas-opera-in-the-heights September 17, 2024 January 14, 2025 Houstonia Groover D. 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February 23, 2020 A Good Cast Works Hard in Yeltsin in Texas https://www.houstonpress.com/arts/review-yeltsin-in-texas-at-opera-in-the-heights-11447845 live https://web.archive.org/web/20211223045504/https://www.houstonpress.com/arts/review-yeltsin-in-texas-at-opera-in-the-heights-11447845 December 23, 2021 January 14, 2025 Houston Press Hagerty Michael February 19, 2020a 5 Vanished, Lesser-Known Houston Landmarks https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/houston-matters/2020/02/19/361075/5-vanished-lesser-known-houston-landmarks/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20240710200544/https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/houston-matters/2020/02/19/361075/5-vanished-lesser-known-houston-landmarks/ July 10, 2024 January 14, 2025 Houston Public Media University of Houston Hagerty Michael February 21, 2020b Boris Yeltsin's 1989 Visit to a Houston Grocery Store Is Now an Opera https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/houston-matters/2020/02/21/361467/boris-yelstins-1989-visit-to-a-houston-grocery-store-is-now-an-opera/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20241229010451/https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/houston-matters/2020/02/21/361467/boris-yelstins-1989-visit-to-a-houston-grocery-store-is-now-an-opera/ December 29, 2024 January 14, 2025 Houston Public Media University of Houston Hlavaty Craig April 7, 2014 Boris Yeltsin in Houston https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bayarea/slideshow/Boris-Yeltsin-in-Houston-83404.php January 14, 2025 Chron.com Hearst Communications Hlavaty Craig January 31, 2018a September 13, 2017 When Boris Yeltsin went grocery shopping in Clear Lake https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bayarea/news/article/When-Boris-Yeltsin-went-grocery-shopping-in-Clear-5759129.php January 14, 2025 Chron.com Hearst Communications Hlavaty Craig October 14, 2018b Houston's famous (and infamous) visitors over the decades https://www.chron.com/culture/celebrities/article/Houston-s-famous-and-infamous-visitors-over-the-12233422.php January 14, 2025 Chron.com Hearst Communications Howe Marvine Marvine Howe September 10, 1989 Opposition Leader From Soviet Union Begins Visit to U.S. https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/10/world/opposition-leader-from-soviet-union-begins-visit-to-us.html subscription live https://web.archive.org/web/20171220010026/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/10/world/opposition-leader-from-soviet-union-begins-visit-to-us.html December 20, 2017 January 17, 2025 The New York Times 17 0362-4331 1645522 Jordan Jay R. August 9, 2019 Russian president's communism-shattering visit to Clear Lake grocery store showcased in new opera https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bayarea/news/article/Boris-Yeltsin-Clear-Lake-grocery-opera-14292897.php January 14, 2025 Chron.com Hearst Communications Keller Bill Bill Keller October 17, 1989 Yeltsin Makes the News Again, but Ruefully https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/17/world/yeltsin-makes-the-news-again-but-ruefully.html subscription live https://web.archive.org/web/20240903020421/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/17/world/yeltsin-makes-the-news-again-but-ruefully.html September 3, 2024 January 16, 2025 The New York Times 13 0362-4331 1645522 Kripal Jeffrey J. Jeffrey J. Kripal https://books.google.com/books?id=mffc2m9D3REC On the Edge of the Future: Esalen and the Evolution of American Culture Shuck Glenn W. Glenn Shuck Indiana University Press 2005 978-0-253-34556-1 Kripal Jeffrey J. Jeffrey J. Kripal Bloomington, Indiana 1–16 en Introducing Esalen 57069541 Shuck Glenn W. Glenn Shuck Kripal Jeffrey J. Jeffrey J. Kripal https://archive.org/details/esalenamericarel0000krip/ Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion University of Chicago Press 2007 978-0-226-45369-9 Chicago 71552179 Levitt Aimee February 25, 2020 Boris Yeltsin's 1989 Visit to a Texas Supermarket Has Inspired an Opera https://www.thetakeout.com/boris-yeltsin-texas-supermarket-opera-1841909510/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20240725080127/https://www.thetakeout.com/boris-yeltsin-texas-supermarket-opera-1841909510/ July 25, 2024 January 14, 2025 The Takeout Static Media Lincicome Scott September 15, 2023 Happy Yeltsin Supermarket Day! https://www.cato.org/blog/happy-yeltsin-supermarket-day live https://web.archive.org/web/20241201090353/https://www.cato.org/blog/happy-yeltsin-supermarket-day December 1, 2024 January 14, 2025 Cato Institute Lovell Stephen Stephen Lovell https://books.google.com/books?id=DHFDjhPugJIC The Shadow of War: Russia and the USSR, 1941 to the present Wiley-Blackwell 2010 978-1-4443-5159-0 Chichester 567008056 Malcolm Timothy September 15, 2024 How Boris Yeltsin's trip to a Houston-area Randall's changed the world https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/boris-yeltsin-houston-randalls-1989-19763403.php January 14, 2025 Chron.com Hearst Communications McDowell Edwin June 19, 1989 Summit Books Signs A Moscow Maverick https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/19/books/summit-books-signs-a-moscow-maverick.html subscription live https://web.archive.org/web/20240402014339/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/19/books/summit-books-signs-a-moscow-maverick.html April 2, 2024 January 17, 2025 The New York Times 13 0362-4331 1645522 Miller Mark August 21, 2018 A socialist visits a Texas grocery store https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/402140-a-socialist-visits-a-texas-grocery-store/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20241207023606/https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/402140-a-socialist-visits-a-texas-grocery-store/ December 7, 2024 January 14, 2025 The Hill 1521-1568 31153202 Oliver Dave David R. Oliver Jr. https://books.google.com/books?id=HWGdEAAAQBAJ American Defense Reform: Lessons from Failure and Success in Navy History Toprani Anand Georgetown University Press Foreword by Bill Owens 2022 978-1-64712-276-8 Washington, D.C. 1289617597 Paulus Daniel November 1, 2024 Remember Russian President Yeltsin's Eye-Opening Supermarket Visit In Houston https://klaq.com/boris-yeltsin-texas-supermarket/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20241103114424/https://klaq.com/boris-yeltsin-texas-supermarket/ November 3, 2024 January 14, 2025 KLAQ Plokhy Serhii Serhii Plokhy https://archive.org/details/lastempirefinald0000plok/ The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union Basic Books 2014 978-0-465-05696-5 Updated New York City 859186452 Roberts Kevin Kevin Roberts (political strategist) December 26, 2019 Boris and Bernie Go Shopping https://www.texaspolicy.com/boris-and-bernie-go-shopping/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20240528042154/https://www.texaspolicy.com/boris-and-bernie-go-shopping/ May 28, 2024 January 14, 2025 Texas Public Policy Foundation Sarotte M. E. M. E. Sarotte https://books.google.com/books?id=4ghMEAAAQBAJ Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate Yale University Press 2021 978-0-300-25993-3 New Haven, Connecticut 1283851139 September 25, 1989 Coming To America https://time.com/archive/6703454/coming-to-america-2/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250117154958/https://time.com/archive/6703454/coming-to-america-2/ January 17, 2025 January 17, 2025 Time 0040-781X 1311479 Time 1989 September 5, 1989 Soviet reform politician to visit U.S. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/09/05/Soviet-reform-politician-to-visit-US/2397620971200/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250116221951/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/09/05/Soviet-reform-politician-to-visit-US/2397620971200/ January 16, 2025 January 16, 2025 United Press International United Press International 1989a September 9, 1989b Yeltsin flies to United States for visit https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/09/09/Yeltsin-flies-to-United-States-for-visit/6963621316800/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20191221180445/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/09/09/Yeltsin-flies-to-United-States-for-visit/6963621316800/ December 21, 2019 January 16, 2025 United Press International United Press International 1989b September 12, 1989c Photo: Boris Yeltsin on a 9 city tour of the United States https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/3d8178c4852db306c9024b88661c2c03/Boris-Yeltsin-on-a-9-city-tour-of-the-United-States/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250117121707/https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/3d8178c4852db306c9024b88661c2c03/Boris-Yeltsin-on-a-9-city-tour-of-the-United-States/ January 17, 2025 January 17, 2025 United Press International United Press International 1989c Further reading Aron Leon November 8, 1999 A Search for a Historic Yeltsin https://www.aei.org/research-products/speech/a-search-for-a-historic-yeltsin/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20230614072357/https://www.aei.org/research-products/speech/a-search-for-a-historic-yeltsin/ June 14, 2023 January 17, 2025 American Enterprise Institute Clines Francis X. Francis X. Clines September 19, 1989 Yeltsin in U.S.: Pravda's Ugly Profile https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/19/world/yeltsin-in-us-pravda-s-ugly-profile.html subscription live https://web.archive.org/web/20230908164431/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/19/world/yeltsin-in-us-pravda-s-ugly-profile.html September 8, 2023 January 16, 2025 The New York Times 14 0362-4331 1645522 Griffith Ted https://books.google.com/books?id=yGX6EAAAQBAJ Theater of Lies: Misinformation Divides Us – With Purpose. How to Protect Ourselves, & Why We Must. FriesenPress 2024 978-1-0391-9209-6 Altona, Manitoba 268–269 1427660164 Harris Malcolm Malcolm Harris https://books.google.com/books?id=vHqeDwAAQBAJ Shit Is Fucked Up and Bullshit: History Since the End of History Melville House Publishing 2020 218 978-1-61219-837-8 New York City 1129682163 September 25, 2021 September 18, 1989 Soviet Official Yeltsin Defends Views, Criticized Gorbachev in Miami Visit https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1989/09/18/soviet-official-yeltsin-defends-views-criticizes-gorbachev-in-miami-visit/ subscription live https://web.archive.org/web/20250119193443/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1989/09/18/soviet-official-yeltsin-defends-views-criticizes-gorbachev-in-miami-visit/ January 19, 2025 January 19, 2025 Sun Sentinel Tribune Publishing 0744-8139 45155582 September 11, 1989 Yeltsin, Taking Stock of U.S., Tours NYSE https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-11-mn-1602-story.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20250117164259/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-11-mn-1602-story.html January 17, 2025 January 17, 2025 Los Angeles Times 0458-3035 3638237 United Press International Category:1989 in international relations Category:Boris Yeltsin Category:Diplomatic visits to the United States Category:Presidency of George H. W. Bush Category:September 1989 in the Soviet Union Category:September 1989 in the United States Category:Soviet Union–United States relations Category:Foreign policy of the George H. W. Bush administration