The 1991 Soviet coup. A Personal Account.

Monday, August 19, 1991 -- Moscow

I arrived in Moscow from Los Angeles in the middle of June 1991 to spend the summer doing research for my doctoral dissertation. It was my first visit to the Soviet Union in three years after spending a year touring the country as a guide with the U.S. State Department's exhibition "Information USA." I was excited to be back. An American academic told me soon after my arrival that I had come at a good time. Things were quiet, he said, stable, the political situation was under control.

So it seemed for the first two months of my stay. Full Story

• The cover of the magazine "Stolitsa" stuck to the barricades showing three coup leaders (l. to r.): Boris Pugo, Dmitry Yazev, and Vladimir Kryuchkov. The caption reads--"Three Merry Friends."
• Crowds climb atop a Soviet era monument for a better view at the White House
• Applauding the speakers at the White House from atop a tank
• Crowds at the White House
• A sign outside the White House. "Pavlov's Order: To wield a cudgel over our heads and empty all our pockets with his plans."
• A sign draped over a tank gun at the White House: "It is up to us whether fascism succeeds"