When I first started collecting information for Fate on a Folded Wing, I happened upon an old cassette tape that contained a lecture given by Trixie in May of 1964 to the American Association of University Women. According to publicity documents, Trixie was a frequent lecturer on various topics relating to her travels as a journalist, and in the winter of 1963 alone, I was able to confirm (via personal notes) that she gave at least 23 lectures. Her most common titles were “Before and Behind the Iron Curtain,” “Holy Land Discoveries” (regarding her trips to the Middle East to work with leading researchers on the Dead Sea Scrolls), and “Air Conditioned Housewife” (pertaining to women in aviation and the realities of being a petticoat pilot).
Having never heard any of Trixie’s lectures for myself, I wanted to hear at least one, so I was excited to learn that such a tape existed! Unfortunately, the tape was in poor condition, so it was difficult to understand many of her words at first. However, with a little persistence and determination, I was eventually able to convert the old tape into text format. The full lecture is available for viewing in eBook format, which you can click here to download.
What was interesting about this talk for me, is that it opened up my eyes to the risks associated with traveling behind the Iron Curtain as an American in 1961. From the lecture, Trixie explains why she wanted to go to Russia and what she had to do to get there:
“My hope of going to Russia stemmed shortly after graduation from the university, as we were reckoning a little while ago. About a quarter of century ago. Some of the men were being siphoned off into the service, and the women were getting the journalism jobs.
Back then I had an embassy news reporting job in the Middle West for the Milwaukee Journal stations. Then I went to New York and spoke with the foreign news editor. He said they were thinking of sending three women to Russia. It was an experiment in foreign news broadcasting in that part of the world.
However, he felt that a pilot’s license would be necessary because of the expanses of country that would have to be traversed. Also, to learn the language. I went back to Milwaukee and had three years of private tutoring in Russian with a member of the Russian nobility who escaped persecution to come to this country. Learned the language and got my license. Then went back to New York. This was ’45. As you know, the Iron Curtain had come down, and I was to find, it’s a very real one.”
~Trixie Schubert, May of 1964
To be transported back in time to an era where tensions were extremely high between the U.S. and Russia, to be on the courthouse steps during the Francis Powers trial, and to hear a first person experience from this perspective was eye-opening. Furthermore, it gave me some unique insight to consider when looking back at Joan’s own story of traveling around the world solo in 1964. For those interested in Cold War history or journalism, I highly encourage you to check out this story out and share your thoughts below!
A Synopsis of “Before and Behind the Iron Curtain”
“Before and Behind the Iron Curtain” is the story of journalist Trixie-Ann Schubert’s journey into Russia during the Cold War prior to the fall of the Iron Curtain. Traveling as an Associated Press correspondent with high-ranking officials from the American military, Trixie had to not only acquire a pilot’s license, but learn how to speak both Russian and German in advance of her trip. She later supplied information to Radio Free Europe, which was (and still is) a United States government-funded broadcasting organization that spreads news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, where it claims “the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed.”
This talk specifically covers Trixie’s experience of traveling into Moscow by bus through Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Poland during the time of the Francis Powers trial. She also discusses her time in East Berlin immediately before “the wall” went up in 1961, as well as her talks with the Turkish press and various victims of the nationalized industry
in Egypt and Arab League countries
Fate on a Folded Wing 