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The aim of The St. Petersburg Connection is twofold: first, to trace the historical path of the amicable, supportive relations between the United States and Russia that held firm for nearly a century and a half; second, to sketch a fleeting picture of an age that made it possible. In the bygone days of my teaching career, I strove to impress upon students that the critical aspects of historical events are not primarily to do with when they happened or in the details of what transpired. The pith of history lies in an understanding of why they happened and what the results were.

Historical events do not occur in isolation — outside forces are invariably at work. The United States did not enter World War I on account of the Lusitania’s sinking; it declared war because of events unfolding in Europe and the Far East. Saddam Hussein was not executed because he was nasty with his own people in Iraq; he met his end because he was perceived as a threat to Arab neighbours and to the larger world. The whys and wherefores of history must therefore be examined in the broadest perspective. And so, the story of Russian–American friendship calls attention to the likes of Britain, Japan, and Spain, to Paris, Rio de Janeiro, and Honolulu.

Fundamental to any history are the personalities of the principals involved. A history of the Roman Empire can be had in the biographies of a hundred of its leading citizens. A history of the American Revolution can be had in the stories of two dozen of its leaders. A history of World War II, for example, will inevitably focus on the ambitions of Hitler and the resolve of Churchill (together with the velleity of Chamberlain), the personality of Roosevelt, the ruthlessness and wile of Stalin, the tactical skills of Eisenhower, and the decisiveness of Truman.

This narrative follows the same model, focusing on the individuals involved — not only the famous like Abraham Lincoln and Tsar Alexander I, but also less-notable figures such as William Seward and Nikolai Rezanov, as well as the likes of the virtually unknown: Nero Prince, Andrei Dashkov, and John Ledyard. Regardless of whether they were dominant or peripheral figures, all played roles in the story of Russian–American relations.

The scholastic purist may question my lack of strict adherence to contemporary academic form in this book. I make no apologies and offer no pretense that this is a scholarly treatise. The St. Petersburg Connection is a story … a compelling one that needs telling.

Alexis S. Troubetzkoy

Labelle, Quebec