Other Letters

Series

16 archival containers

Samizdat Archives of Radio Free Europe

With the beginning of the Perestroika period, in the wake of glasnost and the cessation of foreign radio jamming, RFE/RL was bombarded with letters from the Soviet Union. In February 1989, the Samizdat Archives was assigned to the task of processing this correspondence. This resulted in the collections that are part of the Samizdat Archives holdings (Series 31-35). The letters were organized into several series, structured either chronologically (according to the respective registration number), or alphabetically by name, or geographically.

This series includes letters to RFE/RL in various languages sorted geographically according to the country, republic, or region as well as some miscellaneous materials and acknowledgments. In addition to the letters from the Soviet Union, it also contains a small number of letters from Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania. The letters to the RFE/RL usually contain responses to the radio broadcasting and comments on its quality, praise, or critic of certain programs, specific appeals, and requests of the authors or the information that they wanted to publicize. Some letters also contain additional materials or copies of the documents to support the information in the letters.

The series consists of letters from different nationalities and different countries and addressed both the radios and their bureaus in Munich, Paris, and New York. Thematically letters can be divided into several categories. First, the letters from individuals who ask for the schedule of RFE/RL programs. Secondly, the letters from individuals who reflect on the activity of RFE/RL. Individuals often thank the radios for good quality broadcasting. Thirdly, the letters from individuals who are sending their materials to RFE/RL in order to be read in live, printed, read. The people who sent them are usually poets, novelists, etc. Finally, the letters from people asking for assistance in some way. For example, there are individuals who ask the staff of the radio to help to find relatives, friends. In some cases, the authors were seeking help for migration to the West. Also, there are people who wish to migrate and they ask the radios to help them achieving their goal.

Not Expected

The series is organized based on the original order according to the country, republic or region, and thereunder alphabetically. Miscellaneous materials are placed at the end of the series. Related units: 300-85-31; 300-85-32; 300-85-33; 300-85-3.

Restricted

Reproduction is allowed for non commercial purposes.

Revised by Anna Mazanik and Irina Egorova, 2017, revised by Anastasia Felcher, 2020.