Perceptions and Behavior in Soviet Foreign Policy

by Richard Herrmann

This book discerns Soviet leaders' views of the United States and sees them in relation to foreign policy statements and actions. Hermann first examines the subtle problem of analyzing perceptions and interpreting motives from the words and deeds of national leaders. He then turns to cases, measuring the dominant U.S. hypotheses about the USSR against Soviet behavior in Central Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, as well as Soviet participation in the arms race. Finally, he weighs his conclusions against a thematic study of speeches and publications by members of the Politburo.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Richard Herrmann, MBE was a Norwegian journalist, writer and radio personality.

Hermann graduated in 1939, and subsequently studied philology at University of Oslo. In 1941 he was offered a job with Norsk Telegrambyrå, an offer he reluctantly accepted, as it required all new employees to join Nasjonal Samling. He left the company after a few weeks. In 1952, he was employed by the Reuters newsagency in London, where he stayed until 1964. From 1961 he was the editor for Reuters UK operation. From 1964 to 1977 he was employed by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation as their correspondent in London. He later worked in Norway and was charged with developing the new radio channel NRK P2 in the early 1980s. In 1984 he retired from radio and TV, but he continued to write until he was almost 75 years old. He has written numerous books on Britain, British history and the British people, published in several languages.

After retiring, Hermann spent the remainder of his life in Oslo, where he died after a long, unspecified illness on June 15, 2010, at age 90.