From the Winter Palace to Lubianka: Paul B. Anderson in Petrograd and Moscow, 1917-1918

• In Event: Americans in Revolutionary Russia: Three Visions of Freedom and Liberation

Abstract

Paul B. Anderson (1894-1985) began his YMCA career with four years of service in China and continued working in Russia from 1917 to 1918. He was invited to work as personal assistant to John R. Mott for a United States diplomatic mission to Russia. Mission participants were housed by the Provisional Government in the Winter Palace. Mott, the leader of the US Association’s global ministry, mentored him throughout his life. Anderson arrived in Petrograd in June 1917 and remained in the city after the mission returned to America; initially he focused on assisting YMCA service to prisoners of war and soldiers. The Bolshevik uprising in 1917 disrupted this humanitarian work, yet Anderson continued with his duties until September 1918, when he was arrested in Moscow. Suspected of “counter-revolutionary” activity, he was taken by a government security official to the Lubianka prison in the center of the city. He was released several days later, but shortly thereafter the YMCA ended its full-scale service in Soviet Russia. This presentation explores Anderson’s work with Mott, his service among prisoners, and his attempts to live in a country through times of war and revolution. During this period Anderson made serious attempts to master the Russian language, understand the culture, and develop relationships with a wide range of people. These efforts helped him encounter life in Russia with a sense of curiosity and respect rather than fear or disdain. He also made his first steps toward building bridges of communication and relationship between Eastern and Western Christians. His time in prison did not end his service with the Association; rather, it deepened his conviction to work with the Y in its efforts to serve Russians, including refugees and prisoners of war, for many years to come.

Author

• Matt Lee Miller, U of Northwestern-St. Paul