THE UNKNOWN RICHARD PIPES

Submitted by Jiri Valenta, May 31, 2018 at 20:29

Daniel, you read my article about my friend, Richard Pipes, your dad, "The Unknown Richard Pipes," published BESA:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Most of the obituaries for the late Professor Richard Pipes, the doyen of America's Russologists and President Ronald Reagan's adviser, present an incomplete picture of this complex and unique scholar. Pipes, who died on May 17 at the age of 94, was not just an unrepentant, Polish-born, anti-Soviet hardliner like Zbigniew Brzezinski. He was also, like Henry Kissinger, a refugee from the Holocaust and a unique visionary. His work is relevant for students of both Russia and the Middle East. https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/richard-pipes/

Not included in the article was Dick's wonderful quote from Vixi from a man who, unusual for any age, Richard was himself not the power hungry politician. "It was freedom not power I yearned for" he wrote. "And on the first day out of government, I jubilantly noted in my journal: 'Fantastic! It is 9:20 A.M. -- the time I got to my office very day -- and I have just arrived at the Library of Congress ... The collar and leash that invisibly tugged me are gone." '

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