How the U.S. Embassy in Moscow burned in 1977
HISTORY JAN 28, 2021 NIKOLAY SHEVCHENKO
https://www.rbth.com/history/333329-us-embassy-in-moscow-fire-1977
The U.S. diplomats suspected some of the Soviet firefighters were disguised KGB agents.
Malcolm Toon, Jimmy Carter’s choice for the key post of the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, was having fun at a black-tie dinner at the Romanian Ambassador’s residence in Moscow when an ominous call suddenly interrupted his pleasant evening.
On the other side of the line was young political officer James Schumaker, who had arrived in Moscow only recently. “We’ve got a fire here in…” he began telling the ambassador.
Dinner interrupted
It was August 26, 1977, and James Schumaker has only been in Moscow for a few weeks. On this unusually chilly, but clear summer evening, Schumaker was relaxing at his apartment in Spaso House, the residence of U.S. ambassadors to Russia.
The phone rang and he came to answer. It was Deputy Chief of Mission Jack Matlock speaking and he sounded agitated. He urgently needed to talk to the Ambassador and instructed Schumaker to locate the latter: “Please hurry, Jim,” Matlock urged.
With the help of Svetlana Alekhina — “our beautiful blonde telephone operator” — he located Toon, who was attending the black tie dinner at the Romanian Ambassador’s residence.
“What’s going on, Jim?” said Toon.
“I don’t know, Mr. Ambassador, but the DCM needs to speak to you right away.”
Another phone buzzed at Spaso House. It was Matlock, yet again.
“Mr. Matlock, I’ve got the Ambassador on the other line. What should I tell him?” asked Schumaker.
“Matlock, the agitation rising in his voice, replied, ‘Jim, tell him we’ve got a fire here in…’ and at that moment the line suddenly went dead,” recalled Schumaker of the ominous conversation later.
‘I lost everything’
When Ambassador Toon and his subordinate James Schumaker arrived at the U.S. Embassy located a few blocks away from Spaso House, they saw the building was engulfed in flames.
“The sight that greeted me was hard to believe. Most of the eighth floor of the Embassy was on fire,” Schumaker said, describing the scene.
The fire was quickly getting out of control and rapidly spreading throughout the building. Ambassador Toon was directing the evacuation effort still dressed — awkwardly for the circumstances — in a formal dinner suit.
Many of the embassy employees were assisting evacuation, some were in a state of shock. Schumaker recalled a scene of Economic Counselor Ken Skoug wandering “up and down in front of the Embassy, mumbling to no one in particular, ‘I’ve lost everything,’ as flames billowed out of his eighth floor office window.”
‘Let it burn’
Soon, the Soviet firefighters arrived at the scene. More and more fire trucks pulled nearby and firefighters set ladders against the burning building.