Category: Stories

Despite the importance of the trade relationship, bilateral, relations were slow to get started. The burgeoning American nation made its first attempt at approaching Russia on a high level during the revolutionary war, when the US Continental Congress appointed Francis Dana as ambassador to Russia. Dana, the personal secretary of John Adams, was given two…

American merchants were handicapped when special problems arose, such as delays in loading that forced them to spend the winter in Russia. They also faced the vagaries of the Russian climate, arbitrary Customs rulings on import duties, and unexpected competition. -Norman Saul, Distant Friends: The United States and Russia, 1763-1867 For businesses involved in American-Russian…

US – Russian commercial relations changed their course in the period following the Crimean War. The traditional commodities that had dominated the trans-Atlantic trade were being replaced by newer, cheaper materials, as was the case with the Russian linen that held a prominent position in the sails of the American shipping industry. Guns over Sugar Changing…