State Historical Society of Iowa

"Diplomatic Farmers: Iowans and the 1955 Agricultural Delegation to the Soviet Union," 2013

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Courtesy of University of Iowa Libraries, Brown, Peggy Ann, "Diplomatic Farmers: Iowans and the 1955 Agricultural Delegation to the Soviet Union," State Historical Society of Iowa - The Annals of Iowa, Vol. 72, No. 1, pp. 31-62, 2013

Description

From The Annals of Iowa, this source describes the process for selecting a unique delegation of men to travel to the Soviet Union from America, with a large number of delegates coming from Iowa. They describe the sites they saw and offered advice and concerns about the farming methods and crop choices they witnessed. 

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Source-Dependent Questions

  • When Whiting farmer Herb Pike described his visit to the Soviet Union, what common fears about the Soviet Union did he claim he never saw?
  • What was Communist Party Chairman Nikita Khrushchev’s view regarding Americans visiting the Soviet Union?
  • What concerns did the delegation have for the leadership in the Soviet Union?
  • What compliments did they offer the Soviet Union?
  • What was promised to the delegation by Soviet leadership if they were to return in two years?
  • Explain how this article helps answer the supporting question: In what ways has Iowa played a leading role in agriculture on a global scale?

Citation Information

Brown, Peggy Ann, "Diplomatic Farmers: Iowans and the 1955 Agricultural Delegation to the Soviet Union," State Historical Society of Iowa - The Annals of Iowa, Vol. 72, No. 1, pp. 31-62, 2013. Courtesy of University of Iowa Libraries