1 The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign ...

or did he? Was he dismissive of your – I'm using the collective you – efforts?
MILLER: No, no, because of Sakharov, he was very accessible. We had meetings with
him a number of times. Like Gorbachev, he was interested in what was a common agenda
and valuable and wanted to participate. Yeltsin’s manner was very much more Soviet
than Gorbachev. It was clear that Yeltsin was the first secretary and you had meetings
with him because he allowed it to happen. He followed a prepared agenda and after he
discussed it. said, "Yes, we'll do that." He was constructive and helpful, but I won't say he
was engaged in the process as Gorbachev was.
Yeltsin was helpful and accessible because he respected Sakharov and a number of the
people who worked with Sakharov, who we had brought to the United States, who were
in key positions, for example, his minister of justice, and his chief of staff, who were both
good friends of mine.
Q: But with the death of Gorbachev in '89 and moving up through '91, did that change
that relationship? I mean, your group and Yeltsin?
MILLER: The nature of the issues, certainly the major issues, the political issues,
changed completely. The end of the Soviet Union had been decided. I'll give you one
example of the interim period. We brought over a delegation from the United States that
was led by Muskie.
Q: That was Edmund Muskie?
MILLER: Yes. It was a distinguished group of people, sponsored by both the American
Committee and the International Foundation. We had a session with Yeltsin. The main
issue was Russia or the Soviet Union – which was the better outcome? Muskie forcefully
maintained that the Soviet Union should be kept together. As Muskie was saying this to
Yeltsin, Yeltsin in no uncertain terms shouted, "It's not going to happen." The Soviet
Union is not going to exist any longer. It's now Russia. And Muskie answered, insisting
that for the good of the world the Soviet Union must stay together. Of course, then, my
Russian friends, Yeltsin’s chief aides, who were there were shaking their heads, saying,
"Don't you Americans understand it's already happened?"
Q: Did you find yourself seeing that the Soviet Union was over while the embassy didn't?
I mean, was there a time when things like Muskie received – I mean, really, you were
beginning to see things from a different viewpoint.
MILLER: I think the American embassy was seeing the reality that the Soviet Union was
over pretty well. They had a large well-staffed embassy with a good political section. The
political section was split in their views about the future direction of the Soviet Union or
Russia. Many of the ambassadors from throughout the world assigned to Moscow were
aware of all of the turmoil going on. Indeed, it was difficult to avoid living the life of
most Muscovites. If they reported, as I know they did, on just what they themselves were
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