12 сентября 2008

Letter by Jack F. Matlock Jr., former US Ambassador to the Soviet Union, to the Gorbachev Foundation

     I understand that President Gorbachev will be speaking in Philadelphia on September 17 when he receives an award.  Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend the ceremony because of a commitment in California that day.

     We are appalled at the way the press is handling the current confrontation between Georgia and Russia.  President Gorbachev's interviews and op-ed articles have been important in bringing forward attention to the events of 1990-91, which lie at the root of much that has happened. 

     I hope we can all work together to bring some sanity to the current international situation. Just when I had the feeling that we could soon move in the right direction on the nuclear issues, the situation in Georgia has intruded to make that difficult.