Balakshin, P. P. (Petr P.)

Petr (Peter) P. Balakshin was born on October 5, 1898 in Vladivostok, in the Maritime Province of the Russian Far East. In 1916, he graduated from high school, and a year later from the Aleksandrovsk Military College in Moscow. He was a veteran of World War I and the Russian Civil War, serving under Admiral Kolchak in the latter. After the collapse of the White Russian Movement, he left Russia and moved to Japan temporarily; eventually settling in Shanghai, China, where he was a partner of the Shanghai Riding School, and, later, employed by an American engineering company. In August, 1923, he immigrated to the United States, and settled in Seattle, Washington. Four years later he moved to San Francisco in order to enter the School of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. After three years of college, serious illness and hospitalization terminated his architectural study. In the early 1930s he organized the Guild of Russian Writers in California; he also published and edited the Russian literary magazine Zemlya Kolumba ("The Land of Columbus") as well as the newspaper, Russikye Novosti ("Russian News"). A few years later, he acquired the third oldest Russian language newspaper in the United States, the Russian Life, and merged it with the earlier newspaper under the title Russian News Life. In 1941, at the outbreak of war in the Pacific and World War II, he joined the Bureau of Information Control (later named Office of Postal Censorship), in charge of Slavic language publications. From 1946 until 1949, he was in Seoul, Korea, a civil service employee with the United States Department of Defense; first as a member of the US USSR Joint Commission on Reunification of Korea, then as translator and editor of Russian language documents. He served as Information Specialist with the US Military Government of Korea, Department of Information; as a Political Analyst with Headquarters of XXIV Corps; and finally, as Military Historian. In September 1960, he resigned from the Civil Service and became a freelance translator of books and articles on political and technological matters from Russian, Ukranian, and Bulgarian into English. Balakshin is the author of nine published books in Russian and three historical monographs in English. He died on July 30, 1990.

From the description of Peter P. Balakshin papers, 1929-1989. (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 227456873

Autobiography of Petr P. Balakshin

I was born on October 5, 1898 in Vladivostok, in the Maritime Province of the Russian Far East. In 1916 I graduated from high school, and a year later from the Aleksandrovsk Military College in Moscow. I am a veteran of World War I and the Russian Civil War, serving under Admiral Kolchak in the latter.

After the collapse of the White Russian Movement, I left Russia and moved to Japan temporarily; eventually, I settled in Shanghai, China, where I was a partner of the Shanghai Riding School, and, later, employed by an American engineering company.

In August, 1923, I immigrated to the United States, and settled in Seattle, Washington. Four years later I moved to San Francisco in order to enter the School of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. After three years of college, serious illness and hospitalization terminated my architectural study.

I began writing early in my life, going through the usual stages many young writers experience; I edited a high school magazine, wrote poems, stories, and articles, some of which were published in local newspapers. In my long literary and journalistic life, I contributed hundreds and hundreds of articles and stories to almost all emigre publications, the most important of which were La Pensee Russe, Paris; Novoye Russkoye Slovo, New York; Sovremennik, Toronto, Canada; and newspapers of the Far East.

In the early 1930s I organized the Guild of Russian Writers in California which brought me into contact with numerous Russian emigre writers, poets, and journalists living in Paris, Berlin, and other centers of emigre communities abroad.

During the same period I published and edited the Russian literary magazine Zemlya Kolumba ("The Land of Columbus") as well as the newspaper, Russikye Novosti ("Russian News"). A few years later, I acquired the third oldest Russian language newspaper in the United States, the Russian Life, and merged it with the earlier newspaper under the title Russian News Life.

I am the author of nine published books in Russian and three historical monographs in English. [See Appendix A]

Prepared for publication are the following: two plays entitled "The Troublesome Night" and "Guests from the Soviet Ship," and a collection of short stories and articles.

In 1941, at the outbreak of war in the Pacific and World War II, I joined the Bureau of Information Control (later named Office of Postal Censorship), in charge of Slavic language publications.

From 1946 until 1949, I was in Seoul, Korea, a civil service employee with the United States Department of Defense; first as a member of the US USSR Joint Commission on Reunification of Korea, then as translator and editor of Russian language documents. I served as Information Specialist with the US Military Government of Korea, Department of Information; as a Political Analyst with Headquarters of XXIV Corps; and finally, as Military Historian.

From May, 1949, until October 1955, I was Military Historian, Far East Command, serving in Tokyo, General Headquarters of General MacArthur's staff. I also served as a command historian for two years after that in Nagoya, Headquarters, 314 Air Force Division.

In 1952, after resigning the Air Force post, I joined the Psychological Warfare department in the US Department of Defense, in Tokyo; after three years I moved to Washington, D.C.

In March, 1956, during the Hungarian Uprising, I was sent to Athens, Greece, to write about the events of this uprising and radio broadcast the information to Soviet population. I continued radio script writing and broadcasting to the Soviet Union from Athens until March 1960.

In September 1960, at the age of 62, I resigned from the Civil Service and became a freelance translator of books and articles on political and technological matters from Russian, Ukranian, and Bulgarian into English.

From 1971 to 1982, I lived in Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, and England. In 1977, I visited Moscow, Leningrad, Riga and Tallin.

(signed Peter P. Balakshin) August, 1986

From the guide to the P. P. Balakshin Papers, 1929-1989, (The Bancroft Library)