British-Soviet Friendship Society

{{short description|Defunct British society}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = British-Soviet Friendship Society

| formation = 1946

| status = Defunct

| purpose = Diplomatic organisation

}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

The British-Soviet Friendship Society was a British membership organisation for the promotion of political and cultural links between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. The society was active from 1946 to 1991, and was a successor to the groups Friends of the Soviet Union, established in 1930, the Russia Today Society (1934), and the Anglo-Soviet Friendship Committee (1940).{{cite web |title=British Soviet Friendship Society Papers |url=https://marx.soutron.net/Portal/Default/en-GB/RecordView/Index/75643 |website=marx.soutron.net |publisher=Marx Memorial Library |access-date=18 January 2021 |language=en}}

Activities

From 1956 to 1990, it published a monthly or bimonthly journal British-Soviet Friendship, retitled BSFS Journal in 1990.{{cite web |title=Catalogue record for "British-Soviet Friendship" |url=http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/display.do?tabs=moreTab&ct=display&fn=search&doc=BLL01001130128&indx=1&recIds=BLL01001130128&recIdxs=0&elementId=0&renderMode=poppedOut&displayMode=full&frbrVersion=&query=any%2Ccontains%2Cbritish+soviet+friendship+society&search_scope=LSCOP-ALL&dscnt=0&scp.scps=scope%3A%28BLCONTENT%29&vl(2084770704UI0)=any&vid=BLVU1&institution=BL&tab=local_tab&vl(freeText0)=british%20soviet%20friendship%20society&dstmp=1611000318195 |publisher=British Library |access-date=18 January 2021}} In 1952 the society visited the Soviet Union.{{cite web |title=Papers relating to the British Soviet Friendship Society visit to USSR - Archives Hub |url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/54e08c5b-8a25-304b-a145-e1a393cd2447 |website=archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk |publisher=JISC |access-date=18 January 2021}}

Chairman

  • William Wilson, 1977-1983{{cite web |last1=HOLLINGSWORTH |first1=MARK |title=WHEN RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE SOUGHT TO RECRUIT BRITISH MPS |url=https://declassifieduk.org/when-russian-intelligence-sought-to-recruit-british-mps/ |publisher=Declassified UK |access-date=1 September 2023 |date=1 June 2023}}

Society archives

The society's papers are held at the Marx Memorial Library, while the University of Hull's archives hold papers relating to the society's 1952 trip to the Soviet Union.

References