The famous American political scientist, historian Dmitry Simis, or Simes, as he is now called, spent his childhood and youth in the Soviet Union. After leaving for America, he managed to make a good career rare for an emigrant as a political scientist. Dmitry knows the secret to success: a combination of ambition, energy and self-confidence. Even in the most difficult situations, he does not forget his favorite word: "Go!"
early years
Dmitry was born in 1947 in Moscow. His parents were directly involved in jurisprudence. Father Konstantin Simis was a legal scholar, taught international law at MGIMO, and collaborated with Radio Liberty. Mother Dina Kaminsky worked as a lawyer. None of the adult members of the Dima family were members of the party, they reacted very negatively to the Soviet regime, and the boy’s grandfather even called her a “gang”. Dmitry’s social and political views began to take shape very early, reflecting the special mood prevailing at home. Parents were Jews, they had to repeatedly refute the anti-Semitic sentiments that existed among the intelligentsia. Kaminskaya's lawyer became famous for her participation in high-profile trials of Soviet dissidents. She defended them more than once, and this led to the fact that she was no longer admitted to political processes and expelled from the bar. In 1977, parents, after several interrogations, fleeing persecution of special services, were forced to leave the USSR forever.
Studying at Moscow State University
After graduation, the young man did not get to the institute the first time and started working at the State Historical Museum. This fact finally determined the choice of further profession. A year later, he became a student in the history department of the main university of the country. However, Dmitry studied for a short time at the full-time department of Moscow State University, a year later he had to transfer to a correspondence education. The reason was a careless polemic with a teacher of history of the CPSU about the significance of the work of the leader of the world proletariat. It cannot be said that at that time the young man shared the cosmopolitan views of his parents, but he was already thinking about the structure of society and his significance. Simis worked at the library of the USSR Academy of Sciences in parallel with his studies.
His unexpected fascination with anthropology led to the fact that Dmitry left history and entered the biological and soil faculty of the same university. The very next year he was expelled for political reasons - for anti-Soviet statements on the topic of American aggression in Vietnam. A brave student had to find out what Sailor's Silence was; he spent about two weeks in the pre-trial detention center. However, the young man himself did not consider his statements to be dissident, he simply lived and worked within the existing system.
Carier start
The next few years, Simis worked at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations. The career of the young scientist was successful. His scientific project was recognized as the best and awarded the prize. A promising specialist was active in the Komsomol organization. In 1973, an event occurred that became significant in the further biography of the young man. Dmitry was among the Protestants who staged an action at the Central Telegraph in Moscow. An arrest followed and a three-month period in a pre-trial detention cell. He was able to get free only thanks to the intervention of representatives of foreign authorities who asked the leadership of the Soviet Union for release. So Simis in an accelerated version received the right to leave the USSR through Vienna to the United States without returning, and used it in the near future.
Emigration
Soon, 25-year-old Dmitry was in America. Here he had a new official name - Dmitry Simes. The Soviet emigrant managed to make a good career and become an influential American citizen. The value of the Russian specialist was that he thoroughly knew the reality of the issue and did not engage in frantic anti-Soviet propaganda. For the first 10 years, he led the Dale Carnegie Center for Russian and Eurasian Programs. He taught at colleges and colleges in California. Simes was greatly influenced by his acquaintance with former president Richard Nixon. In the 80s, he served as the unofficial adviser to the ex-head of state on foreign policy issues.
