The Cold War was at its height in 1955 and the Soviets could not feed their own citizens. At the same time, a small-town newspaper editor suggested that the Soviets come visit Iowa if they wanted to learn how to grow hogs and corn. One thing led to another, and 12 Soviet agricultural ministers came to Iowa to learn about "the secret to American farm productivity," while 12 American farmers traveled to the Soviet Union, at their own expense, to teach the Soviets how to be more productive. Both the Soviet and American delegations were treated like rock stars by their host nations. At the same time these two governments threatened nuclear war, the most peaceful demonstration of goodwill took place between these two enemies. 

Instructor Bio: David Mills is an associate professor who joined the Department of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 2016. Dr. Mills spent ten years in the United States Army, including service in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, earning a Bronze Star. He was the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, having taught for a semester in the Russian Federation at Ufa University. He holds a doctorate from North Dakota State University and is the author of three books on military and Cold War history. His current research project examines the effort to feed Germany from the fall of Hitler through the Marshall Plan.