RaveThe Washington PostIn Assignment Russia: Becoming a Foreign Correspondent in the Crucible of the Cold War, Kalb, now 90 years old, effectively transports the reader to a historical period that will soon be lost to living memory. His narrative offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the functioning of journalism and diplomacy in a three-year period when both were undergoing sea changes ... The Kalb of the book is so young, earnest and anxious about making good in his new field that every assignment manages to inspire genuine suspense ... From the preface, the reader knows to expect a hagiographic treatment of Murrow, as well as an abiding faith in the power of journalism and a romantic view of American democracy ... The book ends in the spring of 1961 with Kalb turning down Murrow’s request to join him at the U.S. Information Agency. Kalb decided to remain in Moscow, his dream assignment, for two more years. And that, he promises, is the subject of the next memoir.
