Gennady Fedosov: Diplomat who promoted friendship with the West

 

Suggested Topics

Many people in the arts, commercial, political and sporting life of London will not have forgotten the witty, charming and erudite Gennady Fedosov, who was the Soviet Union’s minister for cultural Affairs in the Soviet Embassy in London. During a fraught period of the relationship between Britain and Russia, Fedosov was a beacon of friendship and understanding.

As the chairman of the Parliamentary Sports Group, I was deeply involved with Denis Howell, who had been Sports Minister from 1964-70, in persuading Charles Palmer, Secretary of the British Olympic Association, to defy Margaret Thatcher’s strident attempts to force a boycott of the 1984 Moscow Olympics.

I was present at a meeting when Fedosov played a pivotal role in persuading the BOA that they would be properly welcomed in Russia. It is not fanciful to argue that without Fedosov, and his Kremlin contacts, not only would there have been no gold medals for Coe, Ovett, Wells and others, but more significantly, in the absence of the American athletes the Olympic movement might have been fatally injured.

Gennady Fedosov was born in Rogachev, Belarus. As a toddler in 1941, at the outset of “The Great Patriotic War”, he escaped with his mother to Moscow. After the vagaries of wartime schooling, his talent won him a place at the Institute of Foreign Languages, subsequently transferring to the Diplomatic Service.

Wonderfully fluent in English, and the American idiom, Fedosov was posted to Washington, working with Anatoly Dobrynin, Soviet Ambassador to the US for more than a quarter of a century. When my wife and I were in Moscow for the Zoria, or Tattoo, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Kremlin walls, with searchlight scenes from Russian history, which had been co-organised by his son Dmitry, we visited Fedosov and his wife Eugenia – a marvellous cook and successful hostess at the London Embassy – Fedosov reflected: “Dobrynin was not only a marvellous boss, but he also saved the world. On account of his close friendship with Nikita Kruschev and his Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, and the respect in which he was held by them, you have to be thankful to Dobrynin for persuading the Kremlin to step back from the brink during the Cuban Missile Crisis.” During his time in the US, Fedosov had honorary citizenship conferred upon him by Kansas City and New Orleans.

Posted to London in 1984, Fedosov found his first Ambassador, Viktor Popov  (who had been Rector of the Soviet Diplomatic Academy) congenial. His successor, Leonid Zamyatin, was “a different kettle of fish”, Fedosov’s words demonstrating his command of colloquial English.

As a young officer, Zamyatin had worked directly under Stalin and had been a hard-line spokesman as head of the Kremlin’s press department and of the official Soviet news agency, Tass. Fedosov did not care for him personally – though he was charming when he came to lunch with us at our home in Scotland – and believed that he thwarted Fedosov’s deepest aim in public life, the understanding of and friendship with the West, a cause which he pursued alongside his great friend, the cosmonaut Valentina Tereskova.

Fedosov leaves his wife and two sons, one of whom, Dmitry, is the world’s greatest scholar on the centuries-old relationship between Scotland and Russia and the editor of the diaries of General Patrick Gordon (a commander of the Tsar’s armies in the latter part of the 17th century), which rank with those of Pepys and Evelyn.

Gennady Fedosov, diplomat: born Rogachev, near Minsk, Soviet Union 8 May 1937; married Eugenia Samas (two sons); died Moscow 11 September 2012.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Top stories
News in pictures
World news in pictures
UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
More stories
       
Independent
Travel Shop
Imperial Cities of Morocco
Seven nights half-board from only £799pp Find out more
Historic Sicily
Seven nights half-board from £799pp Find out more
4* all-inclusive Crete
Seven nights from only £399pp Find out more
Independent Dating
and  

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

Day In a Page

Johnny Marr talks relationships and reunions

He's worked with Modest Mouse, the Pet Shop Boys and Beck, to name a few, and recently released his first solo album. So why, wonders Johnny Marr, do people still hark on about The Smiths?
After the flood: From Haiti to Britain, one man has captured the devastation of our increasingly deluged lands

In pictures: After the flood

From Haiti to Britain, one man has captured the devastation of our increasingly deluged lands
Death becomes her: Meet the very modern mortician who champions 'cool' funerals

Death becomes her: A very modern mortician

Ever considered baking a loved one's remains into a cake or putting their ashes in fireworks? If so, talk to Caitlin Doughty, champion of the alternative death industry.
How long can the 'Keep Calm' trend carry on?

How long can the 'Keep Calm' trend carry on?

At first it seemed clever and cute. Then the 'Keep Calm' motif went mad, spawning endless offshoots.
The man who built Brum: A lament for the demise of John Madin's Brutalist Birmingham

John Madin: The man who built Brum

The architect's buildings were supposed to leave an indelible, futuristic mark on his beloved hometown but they are now being inexorably torn down.
School of chop: Learning the art of butchery at the Ginger Pig

School of chop: Learning the art of butchery

How do you butcher a lamb? Or make Mexican street food in a British kitchen? Christopher Hirst finds out.
James Pembroke: The man who's eaten everywhere

The man who's eaten everywhere

Few people know more about restaurants than James Pembroke, who only spent five mealtimes at home during his entire childhood.
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
Banned Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof to attend Cannes Film Festival 2013, his first public appearance since prison

Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival

Mohammad Rasoulof to make his first public appearance since being imprisoned three years ago
Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

An exhibition explores images how photography has shaped astronomy
Eat Spam and carry on: Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating

Eat Spam and carry on

Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating
Facial hair: Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence

Facial hair

Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...
Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Chief executive says trophies will come if a 'core' of suitable players is in place
Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats