1960 Russian Washington, D.C. City Plan

An intriguing c. 1960 Russian-language map of Washington, D.C. The origin of the map is unclear, but it may have been produced to coincide with Nikita Khrushchev's visit to the United States in September 1959, which began with a sojourn in the nation's capital.

A Closer Look

The southern half of the District is covered, up to and including the Naval Observatory, the Smithsonian National Zoo, Georgetown, and Howard University, along with nearby portions of Alexandria, Virginia, home to the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. Illustrations outlined in red depict monuments, museums, universities, the White House, and the Capitol Building. Many are numbered, corresponding to a list at right. Most of these sites are recognizable, though at least one requires additional explanation: the baseball player at bottom at the site of East Potomac Park refers to recreational fields that once existed there rather than a professional team (unlike Griffith Stadium, towards top-center).

Khruschev's 1959 Visit to the U.S.A.

Between September 15 - 27, 1959, Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev undertook a state visit to the United States at the invitation of President Dwight Eisenhower. Both leaders were eager to turn down the temperature on the Cold War and avoid the potential of nuclear conflict. Khruschev and the Soviet delegation were also intent on using the American media frenzy over the trip to make the case for the superiority of the Soviet system over American capitalism.

Though he publicly thanked host cities and local politicians wherever he went, the always feisty Khruschev also complained about not interacting with regular people ('workers'), engaged in impromptu debates on the virtues of socialism, and cast exaggerated scorn at American cities. Only in Washington for a day, half of which he spent at an Agricultural Experiment Station in Beltsville, Maryland (where he grumbled that the pigs were 'too fat'), he managed to attend a luncheon at the National Press Club (which was marred by a question about his 'Secret Speech' three years prior) and meet with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Despite some moments of tension and discomfort, the trip was important in creating a basis for détente between the two superpowers, the Cuban Missile Crisis a few years later notwithstanding.

Publication History and Census

Based on the sites noted, this map was most likely produced in 1959 or 1960. The key to ascribing this date is Griffith Stadium, indicated by a baseball player towards top, home of the Washington Senators until they moved in 1960 to become the Minnesota Twins, meaning it can date no later than 1960. The map does not appear to have an obvious military or intelligence use, more closely resembling a tourist map instead. There are no other known examples of it in institutional collections or on the market.