Acknowledgements
The original project to publish the archival materials was facilitated by the International Institute of Social History and special thanks are due to Dr. Fritjof Tichelman, Dr. Eric Fischer and Ms. Ati Horst. Research trips were supported by the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences. I owe a special thanks to Dr. Stefan Landsberger for his help and support.
For this new work, thanks need to be given to my new intellectual home at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School. I found time to read through most of the documents released from Moscow while on sabbatical at the Canon Institute for Global Studies. In particular, Dr. Jun Kurihara provided great support. While I was in Japan, I was very fortunate to visit Professor Ishikawa Yoshihiro at Kyoto University. I benefitted from his knowledge of this period and his encouragement to pursue the project.
I would like to thank Chen Hao for his excellent research assistance and seeking out a variety of important secondary sources. I am grateful to Professor Timothy Cheek for his thoughtful comments that enabled me to tighten the argument, draw out its broader significance and see the woods rather than the trees. Also, he pointed me to some important sources that I had not utilized. As usual, Ms. Nancy Hearst weaved her usual magic with the bibliography. Elizabeth You from Brill helped with the production process. Finally, I want to thank Ms. Qin Higley at Brill for her willingness to support this project and exhibiting the patience to see it through.