About the book: 2023 / Joseph Edward Davis - diplomat, lawyer, specialist in international law, US Ambassador to the USSR from late 1936 to mid-1938 d. Along with performing direct diplomatic duties as ambassador, Davis collected information about the Soviet Union's economy, industry, culture, conditions and lifestyle of the country's citizens. On the instructions of the president, the ambassador had to give an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the Soviet leadership, based on personal observation. And Davis fulfilled the task assigned to him: according to Roosevelt, he “showed amazing ability to assess current events and determine with extraordinary accuracy their impact on the future.” In writing the book, the author used documentary materials, presenting confidential dispatches to the State Department, excerpts from diaries, official and personal correspondence.