To Russia With Love

Son of the famous American journalist Louis Fischer, who corresponded from Berlin and Moscow, and the Russian writer Markoosha Fischer, Victor Fischer grew up in the shadow of Hitler and Stalin and watched his friends' parents disappear after political arrests. Eleanor Roosevelt personally engineered the Fischer family's escape from Russia and soon after Victor was serving in the United States Army in World War II, while his childhood friends fought in the Soviet and German armies. As a young adult, Fischer went on to help shape Alaska's map by planning towns throughout the state. This unique autobiography recounts his earliest days in Germany, Russia, and Alaska, where he soon entered civic affairs and was elected as a delegate to the Alaska Constitutional Convention—the body responsible for establishing statehood in the territory. A move to Washington, DC, and further government appointments allowed him to witness key historic events of his era, which he also recounts here. Finally, Fischer brings his memoir up to the present, describing how he has returned to Russia many times to bring the lessons of Alaska freedom and prosperity to the newly democratic states. Victor Fischer held several government positions and was on the faculty at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and Anchorage, where he was director of the Institute for Social and Economic Research. He continues to work in state policy, local government, and Alaska-Russia issues. Charles Wohlforth is a lifelong Alaska resident and prize-winning author of numerous books about Alaska. A popular lecturer, he has spoken all over the United States and overseas