John Scott

John Scott (1912–1976) was an American writer and journalist whose formative experience was a decade spent in the Soviet Union between 1932 and 1941. Initially drawn to the Soviet Union by an idealistic belief in democratic socialism and the fervor of building a new society, Scott worked as a welder, chemist, and foreman in Magnitogorsk. His time there, however, became increasingly overshadowed by the Great Purge of 1937-1938, which led to his disillusionment with Stalinism and made him a distrusted foreigner. He eventually returned to the United States with his family, where he became a prominent critic of Bolshevism.

Scott chronicled his Soviet experiences in his best-known book, "Behind the Urals: An American Worker in Russia's City of Steel." His career also included extensive work as a journalist, author, and editor for Time Life. During World War II, he served in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). In his later years, he was a vocal opponent of Bolshevism and, after retiring, served as vice president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Born John Scott Nearing in 1912, he later adopted the name John Scott to establish his independence. After leaving the University of Wisconsin and undergoing welding training, Scott traveled to the Soviet Union in 1932, motivated by a socialist idealism and a desire to participate in the nation's rapid industrialization. He settled in Magnitogorsk, a newly constructed industrial city, where he worked in a steel plant as a welder, chemist, and foreman. During this period, he married a Russian woman and had children. His early years in the Soviet Union were marked by a sense of participation in a grand collective endeavor, contributing to the construction of a massive industrial complex.

Scott's experience in the Soviet Union shifted dramatically with the onset of the Great Purge in 1937-1938. As a foreigner, he found himself increasingly viewed with suspicion and was barred from his workplace. The disappearance of many Russian colleagues deeply affected him, leading to a profound disillusionment with Stalinism, though he maintained a sympathy for socialist ideals. He and his wife, Maria Ivanovna Dikareva Scott, sought permission to leave the USSR, a process that took four years. While he observed that the Soviet economy was improving the standard of living for its populace, he privately feared for the country's future and recognized the dangers of the regime's rigid ideology and purges.

Upon returning to the United States in 1941, Scott published "Behind the Urals: An American Worker in Russia's City of Steel," a memoir detailing his experiences and observations of Soviet life, industrialization, and the human cost of the Stalinist system. The book presented the construction of Magnitogorsk as a monumental achievement of collectivism, while also highlighting the harsh realities of worker conditions, industrial accidents, and political purges. Scott's post-war career included decades as a journalist and editor for Time magazine. He also served in the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. In his later life, Scott became a prominent public advocate against Bolshevism and, after retiring in 1973, served as vice president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

“Better leave. This is no place for foreigners now.”

“The future of the Soviet Union does not look bright to me.”

“Unless the Party is restored to at least some of its former position as a leading force in the country and permitted to propagate certain basic socialist principles, there will be no cement to prevent demoralization and breakdown, no ideology to act as a religion or faith for youth.”

“I believe that the economic battle is gradually being won.”

“I believe that the popular feeling in the Urals is that the present regime has given them [the common people], and is giving them, more goods and comforts than they have had before. It is possible that as long as the Soviet regime is able to keep the people at work and give them enough purchasing power to buy the things essential to their low standards it will endure.”