Offered is a substantial archival lot of 18 original-period Russian-language Radio Liberty broadcast scripts from 1988, comprising 36 typewritten pages.
The scripts are for the Russian Christian radio program «Не хлебом единым», translated as “Not by Bread Alone.” Each of the 18 scripts consists of two pages and bears a printed 1988 production or broadcast date and an individual program number.
The scripts follow a prepared radio-broadcast format that includes standard introductions, announcer text, Sunday religious discussions, and recurring segments devoted to Russian Orthodox faith and history. Visible subjects include the Gospels, the Eucharist, Patriarch Tikhon, Russian saints and martyrs, Dostoevsky, religious life, and the theological foundations of Orthodox Christianity.
Many pages contain handwritten working notations, including circled numbers, corrections, underlining, marginal marks, scheduling information, and English-language broadcast notes. These markings indicate that the documents were working production or editorial copies rather than clean, unused reference copies.
From the personal archive of Nicholas A. Petroff, whose career included work involving Soviet and Eastern European affairs and senior service Assistant Director with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The archive was retained together before acquisition and has not been assembled from unrelated sources. The archive’s Petroff provenance provides important context for the material and helps explain its concentration on Russian Service editorial policy, Soviet affairs, broadcasting and institutional controversies.
Radio Liberty transmitted uncensored news, cultural programming, religious discussions, and political commentary to audiences in the Soviet Union. Religious programming held particular historical importance because open religious expression and access to uncensored Orthodox material had long been restricted under Soviet rule. These scripts date from the transformative final period of the USSR.
The provenance helps explain why this group of Russian-language broadcast and political material was preserved together.
An excellent research collection relating to Radio Liberty, post-Soviet Russia, international broadcasting, journalism, Russian émigré history, religious studies and political communication.
This provenance provides valuable context but should not be interpreted as a claim that Petroff personally authored all of these scripts. However, based on their provenance and the handwritten editorial markings, they are believed to have been at least reviewed or edited by Petroff. The handwriting has not been independently authenticated.
This cohesive group would make an excellent addition to a collection focused on:
• Radio Liberty and Radio Free Europe
• Cold War broadcasting
• Russian-language media
• Russian Orthodox Christianity
• Soviet-era religious history
• Russian émigré history
• Broadcast scripts and production documents
• Nicholas A. Petroff archival material
You will receive the exact 18-script, 36-page lot shown in the photographs. No additional documents or materials are included.
Bonus:
Will ship safely as always.
broadcasts lot 6