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John Brown I'll never forget many moments at the American Center run by one of the best U.S. cultural ambassadors that I ever had the privilege to work with while in Moscow as Cultural Affairs Officer (89-92) at the American Embassy, Ms. Marisa Fushille. So many interesting (and always thought-provoking) events at the Center were organized for the Russian public under her leadership as Center Director: a stimulating "mock" Bush II-Gore debate taking place in Moscow (yes, Idaho -- the savvy young Russians in the audience got it), in which two US Embassy officers took part, one "playing""Bush," the other "Gore" (Bush, btw, won most of the audience's vote); an exhibit on Andy Warhol (as a supplement to a State Department exhibit on that pop-art artist) documenting his contact with Russians; lectures on an infinite variety of topics pertaining to U.S. and U.S.-Russian relations (I particularly remember a lively discussion on the Lend-Lease Act's impact in Russia, nearly forgotten in the U.S.); and, of course, perhaps most important, the splendidly managed/maintained book/magazine collections/internet connections, in a public space meticulously maintained (as an unintended example of American "efficiency" [?[), available free of charge to Russian citizens, without "questions asked." Marisa's Center was an example of American intellectual generosity (of course, needed in the USA as well) at its best -- call it "propaganda" if you are a total cynic -- but if American "public diplomacy" does anything right, it's what Marisa achieved, along with the enthusiasm of her Russian colleagues -- distinguished, cultivated Russians being a key part of her American-Russian team at the sadly to-be-defunct American Center in Moscow who worked so hard to improve/expand American-Russian understanding.