Mission to Moscow

Mission to Moscow is a book by the former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Joseph E. Davies published by Simon and Schuster in 1941. It was adapted into a film directed by Michael Curtiz in 1943. The movie, starring Walter Huston, was made in response to a request by Franklin D. Roosevelt, and was one of the movies famously targeted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. It chronicles the experiences of the second American ambassador to the Soviet Union, Joseph E. Davies. Joseph E. Davies wrote a memoir about his stint as ambassador in 1941. This book is the basis for the film... Mission to Moscow. While the storylines of both the book and movie are practically identical, the movie uses cinematic techniques and dialogue changes to overstate or change some controversial points in the book—changes that were made with Davies' approval. The book was a critical and commercial success; 700,000 copies were sold and it was translated into thirteen different languages. The screenplay adaptation of Mission to Moscow was by Howard Koch. Its musical score was penned by Max Steiner, with cinematography by Bert Glennon.
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